ABSTRACT
       In this thesis an “in vitro” study on the effect of NaCl, KCl, MgCl2 and CaCl2 on muscle protease activities (cathepsins, dipeptidylpeptidases and aminopeptidases) was performed. It was found that KCl did not exert any significant different effect than that due to NaCl on the activity of theses enzymes, while divalent salts (CaCl2 and MgCl2) required much lower concentrations to obtain a similar enzyme inhibition rate than NaCl.
       Then, a series of salting treatments on dry-cured loin with partial replacement of NaCl content by chloride salts of K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+ were applied, and their effects on proteolysis, lipolysis and sensory quality of the final product were assessed. From these results, those salting treatments which had obtained the best marks, consisting of 50 % NaCl-50 % KCl and 55 % NaCl, 25 % KCl, 15 % CaCl2 y 5 % MgCl2 were selected. These formulations were used for the manufacture of two batches of hams with low total salt content, around 2.5 % at the final product, with the aim to study the proteolysis phenomena during the processing and the sensory characteristics of the final product. Also, other two batches of hams using an alternative technique of salting vacuum impregnation with a total salt content among 4.5-5.5 % at the final product were elaborated and the sensory quality of the final product evaluated.
       These results pointed out that the partial replacement of NaCl in the dry-cured ham by the indicated K+, Mg2+ and Ca2+chloride salts mixtures, did not alter significantly the proteolytic phenomena ocurring during processing. Additionally, the sensory analysis showed that the hams manufactured with NaCl-KCl at 50 % and total concentrations of salt around 2.5 % were the most valued by the non-trained panel, whereas some defects appeared in those salted using more total salt content (4.5 -5.5 %), particularly related to bitter taste, due to the high K+ content.