Use of palladium based oxygen scavenger to prevent discoloration of ham

•Palladium based oxygen scavenger could remove the residual headspace oxygen within 35 min.•Ham packed without scavenger shows pronounced discoloration.•Scavenger prevents discoloration of ham during 21 days storage.•Significant differences in redness after 2 h illuminated storage.

The efficiency of an oxygen scavenging film based on a catalytic system with palladium (CSP) was used to prevent the discoloration of cooked cured ham. Sliced ham was packed under modified atmosphere (2 vol.% O2, 5 vol.% H2, 93 vol.% N2) or normal atmosphere in high barrier trays with or without CSP. Packages were stored for 21 days at 4 ± 1 °C under illumination or in darkness. Samples stored in the dark did not show any discoloration, whereas ham stored under illumination showed a pronounced loss in redness. In packages with the CSP, the headspace oxygen concentration of 2 vol.% was removed within 35 min. There was no discoloration observed in samples with CSP although they were stored with 24 h/day illumination. Significant differences (p < 0.01) in redness between the illuminated samples with and without CSP could already be observed after 2 h of storage.

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