Oxidative stability of lipids and cholesterol in salame Milano, coppa and Parma ham: dietary supplementation with vitamin E and oleic acid

An investigation has been carried out on the e ect of dietary supplementation with vitamin E and oleic acid on oxidative stability of Italian representative pork products. Fatty acid composition of deposited fat was modi®ed in the oil supplemented groups with negative e ects on fat ®rmness. Oil supplementation signi®cantly increased vitamin E content of muscles, as well. Oxidative stability of fat, evaluated by TBARS and cholesterol oxides, has not shown signi®cant di erences between dietary treatments but, although the di erences were not signi®cant, the tendency was su ciently clear, especially in salame Milano, towards a lower oxidation level in vitamin E enriched meat. Cholesterol oxidation was found to vary in general around 0.1% of total cholesterol and the only cholesterol oxides observed were 7b-hydroxycholesterol, 5,6a-epoxycholesterol and 7-ketocholesterol. Aldehydes content and dis- tribution appeared to be linked, ®rstly, to the speci®c processing technology of the product and, secondly, to the changed fatty acid composition.