Peptide generation in the processing of dry-cured ham

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was used to separate small water-soluble peptides extracted from dry-cured ham at different processing times (from 0 to 15 months). The elution profile of the deproteinised extracts after gel filtration HPLC showed five ranges of molecular mass: I (4500-2700 Da), II (2700-1200 Da), III (1200-500 Da), IV (500-375 Da) and V (375-160 Da). A clear increase of those peptides below 2700 Da was observed as dry-curing progressed confirming an intense proteolysis especially up to 3.5 months of process. Peptide profiling of deproteinized extracts by reverse phase HPLC and free solution capillary electrophoresis showed substantial changes in peptide patterns along the dry-curing. These mappings could provide valuable information regarding time of processing.