Headspace volatile compounds from salted and occasionally smoked dried meats (cecinas) as affected by animal species

“Cecina” is a traditional intermediate moisture food prepared by salting, drying and, occasionally, smoking meat pieces. The stability and long shelf-life of these products are due to their low water activity (aw), ranging from 0.90 to 0.60. The headspace volatile compounds from samples of dry meats from venison, beef, horse and goat cecina were analysed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to characterise the volatile profile of these meat products. In general, about 110 volatile compounds were identified and quantified. Typical breakdown products derived from lipid oxidation, amino acid catabolism and carbohydrate fermentation were the main volatiles detected in all cecinas, together with the volatiles generated by the smoking process. However, horse cecina also presented important concentrations of esters and showed very few volatiles coming from the smoke.