How much technology is behind the ham?


How much technology is behind the ham?




Although it is one of the most natural foods of gastronomy, the iconic Joselito brand has been committed to R & D since 2001 to know its raw material "in detail" | They have the first 'intelligent nose' of the sector, an apparatus that «objectifies» the aroma of hams



    Anyone who sees pigs running through the pastures of Extremadura in search of grass and acorns weighing 100 kilos at a young age and then tasting Joselito ham, described by several international chefs as the best in the world, can hardly imagine that behind that flavor and natural product there is a work of technology and innovation so rigorous.

The company was founded in 1868 and they are proud to be the oldest family dedicated to Iberian ham in the world and to be the only ones that carry out the complete production cycle, from the field to the sale to the public, but Starting in 2001, they decided to take a step forward and, although they continued with the familiar and traditional vision of the company, the technological changes began. This is a family business that my great-great-grandfather founded, each generation has contributed to the company everything it could to make a ham of extraordinary quality, José Gómez comments, 'Joselito', the owner.

   And what he has contributed is innovation. Since 2001 and under his direction, Jamones Joselito decided to bet on R & D and make a huge investment in machinery, specialized personnel and the laboratory they installed in Jerez de los Caballeros, province of Badajoz. Three people work there, in addition to the veterinarians who bring the data from the field. In the world we live in, it is necessary to try to improve day by day, which is why we implemented an R & D team in 2001 to clarify things well from their origins and improve completely, says Gómez, the company's fifth generation.

The jewel in the laboratory's crown is the 'intelligent nose', a German technology system that synchronizes three different equipment. First, it conditions the sample of raw material -whether it is the food of the pigs or the product itself once it is made- and generates aromas in the vials. These aromas are captured and analyzed through a mass spectrometer that gives a specific profile to characterize the aromas of the acorn, the grass and the product itself, explains Beatriz Isabel, professor of Veterinary Medicine at the Complutense University and project coordinator. of laboratory in Joselito.

With this technology the aroma is objectified to know why some hams have a different flavor to others. We get a direct knowledge on why sensory perception is changed through differences in acorns, says the expert, who stresses that Joselito were pioneers in having this machinery. Although now other companies can have it implemented, the important thing is not the technology itself, but the collection and analysis of data resulting from a work of 16 years.

The son of José Gómez, José Sánchez and sixth generation of the company, also puts the focus on these innovations that the company has carried out in these years. There have been many changes, in development, in the field, in the brand ... Everything has changed because you have to evolve at the same pace as the world. Sánchez emphasizes that they are the oldest family dedicated to ham in the world and that they carry out the complete cycle of the product, from the field to the sale.

Thus, controlling 100% of the process can discover the whys of everything. Controlling the whole cycle includes a lot in the final quality of the ham because otherwise it would be impossible to have a more or less homogeneous product, which makes the consumer always find what he is looking for. Loyalty in any agri-food product is basic, they say.

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