Elaboração e análises de fiambre de Uritinga (Arius proops)

Abstract

Industrialization consists of transforming meats into safe and healthy meat products that meet consumer preferences. Fish is now recognized as a good alternative in the diet, being an important source of high biological value proteins. The production of fish-derived products allows for the transformation of fish into value-added products with quality and good consumer acceptance. Thus, a type of cured meat made from uritinga ham was developed, a food product that is easy to prepare with an acceptable nutritional value. Different formulations were evaluated, and physicochemical analyses of the finished product were performed. Among the developed formulations, formulation 3 was chosen, which had dry seasonings, the addition of carmine coloring, and did not contain soy protein. It was also observed that a long curing time for fish ham proved to be a very important factor for a quality texture. For the centesimal composition, the parameters of moisture (61.31%), protein (14.26%), and carbohydrates (2.56%) met the requirements of the legislation for ham. Regarding lipid and ash content, the legislation does not specify any index; however, values of 19.67% and 2.20%, respectively, were found. The pH (6.52) and Aw (0.87) values found were close to the results described in other studies. Regarding color analysis, the L*, a*, and b* values of 50.86, 17.07, and 26.31 (respectively) indicate a grayish color tending towards red. It is concluded that the developed product met the legislation for ham, along with good results from the physicochemical analysis. The results obtained indicate that the developed product has technical viability and commercial potential, adding value to the Uritinga species and contributing to the valorization of the regional fishing production chain.