G. Enderli*1, M. Hersleth 2, S. Issanchou 1, C. Sulmont-Rossé1

1 INRA, UMR1129 FLAVIC, F-21000 Dijon, France;

2 Nofima Mat, Norway

Traditional food products represent an important part of European culture. Introducing innovations which may affect the sensory characteristics and the image of these well-known products is a challenge for producers. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a reduction of the salt content in dry cured ham on consumer perception.

Four hams were tested: 2 durations of salting (leading to 2 levels of salt content) x 2 animal genotypes leading to hams with a different amount of visible fat.

121 consumers were asked to evaluate on a nine-point hedonic scale the four hams in different information conditions: (1) blind condition (tasting without any information); (2) information only (a photograph of the ham with a label indicating ‘reduced salt content’); (3) full condition (a photograph with the label associated with tasting).

The comparison of the liking scores over the different conditions indicates three consumer profiles. In the blind condition, two thirds of the consumers preferred hams with a normal content of salt whereas the others preferred the hams with a reduced content of salt and the less fatty genotype hams demonstrating a rejection of the salt-fat combination. Information did not induce major changes in mean liking scores. However 39% of the participants, who first preferred the normal salting hams, strongly decreased their liking scores of these products when information were combined with tasting, and particularly for the more fatty ham. This point suggests that they focused on other aspects than the taste of products i.e. on picture and/or label. Furthermore, the expected condition showed that none of the groups rejected the "reduced in salt" hams.

These results permit to conclude that salt reduction could be accepted in dry cured ham: some consumers liked less salty hams and the concept of a low salt ham was well-accepted.Keywords: acceptance, dry cured ham, salt content, information, taste

This study is part of TRUEFOOD - "Traditional United Europe Food", an Integrated Project financed by the European Commission under the 6th Framework Programme for RTD. Contract n. FOOD-CT-2006-016264