Acceptance of Iberian Hams from Pigs Fattened under Different Rearing Conditions

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of the rearing conditions during the fattening period of Iberian pigs on the acceptance of the dry-cured hams, and to research into the relationship between acceptance and sensory characteristics, chemical composition and physical-chemical parameters. The duration of the fattening period in Montanera (outdoor system based on acorns and grass) affected significantly ham acceptance, the long (75 days)-Montanera group reaching higher scores than the short (50 days)-Montanera group. Only slight differences between the short-Montanera and the Cebo (indoor system based on concentrate feedings) groups were found. Otherwise, ham acceptance was not significantly affected by intramuscular fat content and marbling. The sensory variables were more closely related to acceptance than the chemical and physical-chemical ones. The best linear regression model confirms that descriptive sensory data contains valuable information to predict acceptance of hams from pigs fattened under different rearing condition.