Cooked ham quality parameters from Nero di Lomellina pigs and commercial hybrid pigs: preliminary data

Nero di Lomellina (NL) is a recently recognized reconstructed pig breed of the area of Pavia by the National Pig Breeders Association. These pigs have rustic characteristics and the meat is suitable for the production of high-quality processed products. The NL represents a benefit to the local economy, but in literature, there is no information on product quality parameters. Considering that in Italy cooked ham is the most consumed cured meat (27.8% of total consumption in 2022), the present study aimed to characterize the quality parameters of cooked ham from NL pigs compared to those obtained from Commercial Hybrid (HP) pigs in the same conditions. The animals were slaughtered at about 173 ± 2 kg of live weight at a commercial slaughterhouse (Macelleria Costa, Gambolò, PV). Sixteen thighs, sampled from the left side of the carcass (8 per genetic type), were processed under commercial guidelines for cooked ham production. Physical, chemical, and sensory parameters of cooked hams were determined. The data evaluation was performed using the statistical software SPSS (SPSS/24 PC Statistics 28.0 IBM). Data related to physical and chemical parameters were analyzed by one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with breed as fixed effects. No previous data reported the quality parameters of cooked ham from NL pigs. The physical and chemical parameters of the product did not differ between commercial hybrid pigs and Nero di Lomellina pigs (P>0.05) and are comparable with data reported in the literature on Italian cooked ham [1-2]. Similarly, sensory attributes related to appearance, aroma, flavour, and texture were not affected (P>0.05) by the pig breed. The present preliminary data suggest that the physical, nutritional, and sensory quality of cooked ham did not differ between commercial hybrid pigs and Nero di Lomellina pigs. Further data on the quality of derived products from Nero di Lomellina pigs are needed to confirm the present results and to evaluate the quality parameters of other processed products.