This study was performed to evaluate changes of microbiological and hygienic quality characteristics of dry-cured ham during manufacturing process. The water activity(Aw) of dry-cured ham decreased significantly during the period(P<0.05). The salt contents increased from at 0 day to 60 days and decreased slightly at 60 days of post-curing(P<0.05). The contents increased after 120 days again. As the curing, drying and aging progressed, the VBN and TBA of dry-cured ham increased(P<0.05). The dry-cured ham samples showed significantly higher VBN at 120 and 180 days and higher TBA at 180 days. Regarding microbiological analysis, the total aerobic counts and lactic acid bacteria counts increased significantly during the stage(P<0.05). The total aerobic counts closely paralleled the lactic acid bacteria counts. In general, this research can be used as fundamental information for the mass production of a hygienic dry-cured ham.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of ultimate pH of semimembranosus muscle on quality characteristics of dry-cured ham. The sample selection was determined based on ultimate pH of semimembranosus muscle, and samples were then classified into three groups: A (pH 5.61±0.09), B (pH 5.86±0.06) and C (pH 6.13±0.09). Our results depicted that the ultimate pH had a significant effect on the quality characteristics of dry-cured ham. Particularly, as the ultimate pH increased, the pH values of the dry-cured hams significantly (p<0.05) increased while weight loss decreased. Significantly (p<0.05) higher CIE a*, b* and chroma values were observed in the dry-cure hams from the samples with lower ultimate pH. Additionally, the values of some texture characteristics (e.g., hardness and chewiness) significantly (p<0.05) decreased as the ultimate pH increased. However, no significant differences among the three pH groups were observed for water activity, salinity, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), calorie as well as sensory properties of dry-cure hams (p>0.05). These results clearly demonstrate that the ultimate pH of semimembranosus muscle is more related to quality characteristics than sensory attributes of dry-cured ham.