Development of a rapid, specific and efficient procedure for the determination of proteolytic activity in dry-cured ham: definition of a new proteolysis index

A method was adapted to determine proteolytic activity in dry-cured ham using fluorescamine-specific labelling of N-terminal α-amino groups of peptides and amino acids. Fluorescence of the complex was measured using a microplate procedure and optimum excitation and emission wavelengths of 375nm and 475nm, respectively. A new proteolysis index (PI) was defined as the percentage ratio of the N-terminal α-amino group content to the total protein content of the ham extract. The robustness of the method was evaluated by measuring PI in pork meat samples subjected to standardized processing conditions and in samples extracted from industrial hams taken at different stages of processing. For the industrial samples, a comparison with the classic nitrogen procedure of PI determination was performed and a formula relating the two PIs was established. The rapidity, sensitivity and specificity of the procedure make it a good candidate for a screening test to evaluate ham quality in industry.