Ham or Ham? See what you can’t have in them – 05/30/2023 – Market

Faced with the new rules for the manufacture of ham, which came into effect at the beginning of this month, specialists consulted by the Sheet explain the difference between this sausage and the ham, which is usually cheaper. The establishments will have one year to adapt to the changes in ham production and one of the highlights will be the reduction in the volume of water.

The main difference pointed out by the researchers is the amount of protein and the pork cut used. The new ordinance of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, published in April, established that the ham must have at least 16% of ham – a percentage that increases in the cases of superior cooked ham (16.5%) and tender cooked (18%) . For poultry ham, it is a minimum of 14% meat.

The composition of the ham, which was not changed by the standard, has at least 13% pork meat, and the cuts can be both from the pig’s hind limbs and from the front. This makes it possible to use lamb chops and pork shoulders, for example, according to Marise Aparecida Rodrigues Pollonio, a professor at the Faculty of Food Engineering at Unicamp (State University of Campinas).

In addition, starch can be added, in a fraction of up to 2%, which is not provided for in the ordinance dealing with hams. According to Pollonio, the ingredient is not harmful to health and serves to retain water and add viscosity.

She says that, although the nutritional characteristics of the ham are inferior when taking into account the reduced percentage of protein, the product should not be considered “the villain of history”. “What the consumer can lose in this nutritional ranking, he gains in the price, which is lower. And the ham has very high quality, from the point of view of safety”, says Pollonio.

Ana Lúcia da Silva Lemos, technical director of Ital (Institute of Food Technology), says that hams do not necessarily need to comply with the minimum level of 13%. The percentage, according to her, may be higher, depending on the brand.

“With ham, you are not restricted to using the shank as a meat raw material. You can use other cuts. Although the legislation allows it to have 13% protein, while it is 16% in ham, this does not mean that hams on the market they have that amount. So you always have to look at the label, because it will vary from brand to brand.”

Lemos says that it is difficult to define which of the sausages is healthier. For her, it is a broad concept and takes into account other ingredients in addition to protein, such as salt.

According to Patrícia Benelli, professor at the Institute of Food Science and Technology at UFRGS (Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul), consumers need to pay attention to the nutritional table to identify the components and quantities.

“You have to pay attention to the list of ingredients to see which one has a higher percentage. And then look at the nutritional table and compare fat, calorie, salt content”, he says.

In addition to the distinct cutting characteristics and protein content, the ham can have a greater addition of non-meat protein, which represents up to 2.5% of the composition. According to Benelli, this ingredient can be, for example, milk or soy protein and serves to make the sausage cheaper.

See the main differences in the composition of hams and hams:

Baked ham

• 16% ham minimum
• 2% non-meat protein
• 2% carbohydrate
• 25% collagen in relation to total protein
• 10% of the meat can be ground

tender cooked ham

• 18% ham minimum
• 1% non-meat protein
• 1% carbohydrate
• 25% collagen in relation to total protein
• 5% of the meat can be ground

top cooked ham

• 16.5% leg, minimum
• Does not allow non-porcine protein, with the exception of sodium caseinate
• 1% carbohydrate
• 25% collagen in relation to total protein
• Does not allow meat grinding

poultry ham

• 14% hind limb meats minimum
• 2% non-meat protein
• 2% carbohydrate
• 10% collagen in relation to total protein
• Allows grinding of the meat, but does not specify the proportion

ham

• 13% protein minimum
• 2.5% non-meat protein
• 5% carbohydrate
• 25% collagen in relation to total protein
• Allows grinding of the meat, but does not specify the proportion
• 2% starch