Determination of lipolysis

Lipolysis is one of tbe main causes of lipid degradation in fat-containing foods. Although lipolytic activity may be regarded as a spoilage characteristic in some foods, namely milk, this phelomenon may be envisaged advantageously in traditional neat products. Many sensory traits of fermented and dry cured products depend on lipid composition of muscles and adipose tissue' and to its degradation through a complex set of lipolytic and oxidative reacrions during processing. For the aroma development pf those products, lipolysis is the first stage of the process through the generation of free fatty acids (FFA). These have only a small impact on taste and flavor but are important as precursors of volatile molecules, which are produced by the oxidation of FFA and play a relevant role fot the arorna of fermented sausage and dry-cured ham. However the relationship between lipolysis and flavour remains unclear, because the exact mechanism by which lipolysis could promote oxidation is still unknown.