Relationship between biochemical and sensory quality characteristics of different commercial brands of salchichon

The nitrogen fractions (myofibrillar, sarcoplasmic, denatured and non-protein), free amino acid composition, parameters related to fat (iodine index, carbonyl compounds, peroxide value and free fatty acids composition), pH, water activity (aw), moisture and sensory quality characteristics were measured in three commercial brands of salchichon (A, B, C) manufactured in three different industries in order to study the relationship between their biochemical characteristics and their organoleptic quality. The different characteristics and composition of the lipid, nitrogen fractions and free amino acid composition in the three commercial brands led to differences in the organoleptic quality, specially in the texture. The best texture scores were related to a higher insolubilisation of the myofibrillar fraction and a higher water content. The panellists did not notice differences in the flavour among the sausage brands probably due to the addition of black pepper and different spices in the initial mix.