6. Sensory perception: influencing factors

For both dry sausage and dry-cured ham, the final flavor of the product is directly dependent on the biochemical evolution of the organic constituents during the drying process – affinage.

• In the case of dry sausages, the fact that meat products are minced, that many additives/ingredients are used, that microbial development is encouraged and directed, etc., are all factors that accelerate this evolution. The protein fraction seems to play a more important role than for dry-cured ham, but for this same fraction, the microbial balance between lactobacilli and useful staphylococci now seems major. In short, for dry cured sausages, there is an urgent need to continue refining beyond the drying stage (figure