ReviewProteolysis follow-up in dry-cured meat products through proteomic approaches

Dry-cured meat products experience an intense proteolysis phenomenon during their processing. Products like dry-cured ham, that experience processing times longer than 10 months, show an extensive breakdown of major proteins and the generation of a high number of small peptides and finally, large amounts of free amino acids. Proteomic techniques have been successfully applied to the identification of the generated peptides and their sequencing. These data are essential for a better understanding of proteolytic enzymes and their reaction during processing. This approach should reveal key biomarker peptides controlling the process and establish strategies to drive and optimise enzyme reactions for the production of optimal quality products.