ABSTRACT

All over the world there exists a long tradition of fermented meats’ consumption and production, both by industries and rural households. Fermented meat products are usually divided into two groups: a) whole meat products, such as hams, and b) chopped meat products, such as various sausages. Among complex factors that affect the choice of a fermented meat product, physicochemical and sensory properties are the major ones. These properties widely vary due to the number of types of fermented products and processing procedures applied. Differences in chemical and sensorial characteristics depend on the product’s composition and complex protein, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, which occurs both due to the meat-and bacteria-induced enzymatic activity and oxidation processes that influence the lipid and the protein fraction (Kozačinski et al. 2006, Milićević et al. 2014, Marušić et al. 2014). In dry-cured hams, the distribution of ingredients is limited to the product surface, while the technology of fermented sausages’ production enables the distribution of ingredients both inside

the product and on its surface. Significant differences exist also among the namesake products produced in different countries or even in the same country, but at different locations (Dellaglio et al. 1996, Kovačević et al. 2009, Kos et al. 2009, Zanardi et al. 2010).