Multifractal analysis application to the study of fat and its infiltration in Iberian ham: Influence of racial and feeding factors and type of slicing

Abstract

This paper explores the multifractal features of different commercial designations of Iberian ham (acorn 100% Iberian ham, acorn Iberian ham, feed/pasture Iberian ham and feed Iberian ham). This study has been done by taking as input the fatty infiltration patterns obtained from digital image analysis of ham cuts comparing mechanic and manual slicing. The yielded results show the multifractal nature of fatty connective tissue in Iberian ham, only when knife cutting is applied, confirming the differences between the designations according to their genetics and feeding. Thus, the multifractal parameters presented in this work could be considered as additional information for checking Iberian ham quality by using non-destructive methods based on the combination of image analysis and predictive techniques. Meat industry can take advantage of these methods to evaluate meat products, especially when fat-connective tissue with complex pattern distribution is involved.