The ability of peptide extracts obtained at different dry cured ham ripening stages to bind aroma compounds

• Peptide extracts from dry-cured ham have ability to bind volatile compounds.
• Peptides extract binding ability was based on volatile chemical characteristics.
• Peptide extracts showed high ability to bind alcohols and pyrazines.
• Volatile compound binding by peptides was poorly affected by ripening time.

The ability of peptide extracts, obtained at different dry-cured ham ripening-stages, to bind volatile compounds has been examined using solid-phase microextraction and gas-chromatography. The peptide extracts from dry-cured ham were previously defatted and deodorised in order to be able to study peptide–volatile interactions. The binding effect of each peptide extracts to volatile compounds was analysed at different concentrations. In the presence of peptide extracts, a release was observed for ethyl butyrate, ethyl 2-methylbutyrate, ethyl 3-methylbutyrate and 3-methylthiopropanal. On the other hand, retention of about 20% and 30% was observed for 2-methylpropanal, hexanal and ethyl acetate while the highest interaction was observed for trimethylpyrazine. All peptide extracts did not exert any binding effect on 2-methylbutanal. No significant differences in binding-ability were detected for the peptides obtained at different ripening-stages; therefore, the binding-ability of peptide extracts was mainly based on volatile chemical characteristics and not on the type of peptide extract obtained.