What You Need to Know
During curing, a salt concentration of 2–3 % (w/w) lowers water activity below 0.85, and sodium nitrite (0.1–0.3 % w/w) reacts with myoglobin to form nitrosylmyoglobin, giving cured meats their characteristic pink color and developing flavor over 48–72 h at 4 °C. In dry‑aging, endogenous proteases such as plasmin and cathepsins cleave myofibrillar proteins at 0–4 °C and 80–85 % RH, tenderizing the meat by up to 30 % while the Maillard reaction at 60–70 °C generates brown pigments and complex flavor compounds.
The Science
Primary Reaction
Salt‑induced water activity reduction, nitrite‑mediated myoglobin nitrosylation, proteolysis by endogenous enzymes, and Maillard browning