Effect of horse meat content on the quality and sensory characteristics of press ham

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of different ratios of horse meat and pork (horse meat:pork = 0:100, 50:50, 100:0) on the quality and sensory characteristics of press hams. Press ham containing 100% horse meat had a higher moisture content (%) and lower fat content (%) than the other hams (p<0.05). The redness (hunter a value) and yellowness (hunter b value) were significantly higher in press ham containing 100% horse meat, whereas the lightness (hunter L value) was significantly lower than other hams (p<0.05). With regard to textural properties, press ham containing 100% horse meat had significantly higher springiness, but there were no significant differences among the ham products in regard to hardness, cohesiveness, gumminess and chewiness (p>0.05). The results of sensory tests showed that press ham containing 100% horse meat had significantly lower color and acceptability scores compared to other hams (p>0.05). With regard to mineral contents, Na, Fe, Mn, and Zn were significantly higher in press ham containing 100% horse meat (p<0.05).