GC/MS Analysis of Fatty Acids in Italian Dry Fermented Sausages

The present investigation reports a study about the evolution, during ripening, of the fatty acid profile and the fatty acid composition in acylglycerols of three different fermented sausages industrially produced in the Calabria region (Southern Italy). Statistical analysis (ANOVA) was applied to the results obtained for the profiles to check all the differences between samples. The study comprised also an evaluation of the lipid oxidation level. All kind of sausages showed a free fatty acids profile in which the monounsaturated fatty acids were predominant, followed by saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids. In acylglycerols, a low content in linoleic acid (approximately 2% of total methyl esters) was displayed, while that found in the free fatty acids profile was higher (approximately 17% of total FFAs). In addition, the generation of aldehydes through secondary lipid oxidation was clearly confirmed after long ripening period by classical qualitative colorimetric method supported by 1 H NMR spectroscopy. The differences in fatty acids profiles observed in the free fatty acids and the acylglycerol fractions were certainly due to the high selectivity of lypase activity during the ripening.