Certain seasons of the year remind us of traditional foods and for many people, one of those is ham. Even though ham in its variety of forms is enjoyed year-round, thoughts of ham during Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter remind us of family gatherings spent celebrating these special times together.

The global ham market is expected to increase to $43.4 billion by 2032, compared to the $35 billion in 2024. This clearly demonstrates ham’s economic importance around the world, and the fact that it is consumed as part of breakfast, lunch and dinner makes it such an integral part of the food supply.

The term ham encompasses both whole cuts of meat and processed meat, and it is made from pork meat that is sourced from the hind leg or thigh. Ham is known for its unique flavor, taste and texture, and is consumed and prepared as cured, smoked or cooked. Ham is created in many ways around the world, including Westphalian ham and other forms of Spanish ham. Many ham products, such as Prosciutto di Parma in Europe and Smithfield ham, from Smithfield, Va., in the United States, enjoy local name protection.

What’s in a name

Ham labeled Parma Ham and/or Prosciutto di Parma must be produced in the region of Parma, Italy, and must meet characteristics of the product and the method of manufacture as required by Italian laws. The United States has many labeling requirements associated with hams. For example, ham is expected to be from the hind leg of the hog; “center slice” items must be sliced from an area of the original ham positioned about 1 inch on each side of a center cut; Capicola hams are cured and then cooked; and Prosciutto identifies a dry-cured ham.

Dry curing of country hams and prosciutto involves rubbing a fresh ham with a dry-cure mixture of salt and other ingredients and aging the ham for six months to over a year to draw out the moisture, resulting in a weight loss of 18% to 25% and produces a salty product.

Hams labeled as “honey cured” or “sugar cured” must meet specific requirements.

For honey cured hams, (1) the honey used must contain at least 80% solids or be a US grade C or above; (2) the honey should be the only sweetening ingredient or when other sweetening ingredients are used in combination with honey, they do not exceed one-half the amount of honey used; (3) the amount of honey used must be sufficient to flavor and/or affect the appearance of the finished product. Sugar cured may be used on the labeling if:

• The sugar used is cane sugar or beet sugar;
• Sugar is the only sweetening ingredient or when other sweetening ingredients are used in combination with sugar, they do not exceed one-half the amount of sugar used; and sugar is used in an amount sufficient to flavor and/or affect the appearance of the finished product.

Additional requirements must be met when both honey and sugar are used.

Prosciutto di Parma must be produced in the region of Parma, Italy. (Source: ©EZUME IMAGES - STOCK.ADOBE.COM)

Slicing styles and sizes

Consumers’ knowledge of how to slice and serve a whole or half ham may be a lost art, but the technology of spiral slicing created a unique category, including a company known as “Honey Baked Hams.” Cooked hams are placed on a spiral slicer where the ham is rotated around a reciprocating knife that gradually moves from the butt to the shank end creating approximately 1/8-inch slices. The ham may be served chilled or may be reheated, and slices are simply removed for serving. What has made this category so novel is the addition of a sugar or honey glaze that is often flamed creating a crust much like a Crème Brulé. The combination of the great taste of the ham with the addition of the sweet and crunchy glaze elevates the eating quality to a high level. The simplicity of the spiral slices makes the serving of the finished product easy.

Over time, sales of whole or half hams have given way to hams sold in a boneless form. Once individual muscles are removed from the primal ham, they are injected with the curing solution and either massaged or tumbled to extract the salt-soluble, heat-coagulable proteins that allow the muscles or muscle pieces to stick together after processing. The continued growth in deli-style franchised sandwich shops and the delis in many of the supermarkets offer consumers many options to consume ham. The positive marketing advantages of delis has been carried over to the retail self-service cases where terms such as “deli-style” and “carving-board” signify something special that consumers can take home to prepare their own versions of an exceptional sandwich.

Spiral slicing created a unique category of ham, including Honey Baked Hams. (Source: ©DAVID SMITH - STOCK.ADOBE.COM)

Processing challenges

There are several factors that can impact the production of hams. The pale, soft and exudative (PSE) condition that affects pork is especially troublesome for manufacturing hams. PSE is a result of rapid postmortem pH decline, especially while carcass temperatures are high, resulting in development of a lighter color, increased protein degradation, and lower water-holding capacity. The isoelectric point of muscle, where positive and negative protein charges are equal, is around pH of 5.2. If pork muscle reaches this pH, there are fewer places for water to bind to proteins resulting in a loss of yield during processing and a resultant drier product for the consumer.

Pork genetic companies have made great strides in improving pork to eliminate hogs that are susceptible to PSE, but with increased live weights and resultant carcass weights, challenges with chilling heavier carcasses after slaughter creates some level of PSE.

Complying with chilling or stabilization requirements is another factor that some manufacturers struggle with, especially when producing large, bone-in hams.

Proper chilling is required to prevent the potential outgrowth of Clostridium perfringens and Clostridium botulinum. Additionally, mishandling of fully cooked hams can result in contamination with Staphylococcus aureus and the production of a heat stable toxin, which results in foodborne illness in people.

This is also true for dry-cured hams, because although the high salt content of dry-cured hams will prevent the growth of Staphylococcus aureus on the ham’s surface, when the ham is sliced, the interior will permit staphylococcal multiplication if it is not refrigerated after slicing.

Lastly, molds can grow on hams during the long curing and drying process, however, the molds are usually harmless and can be removed with a clean, damp cloth or washed from the ham before consumption.

Ham continues to be one of the most versatile food products around the world providing consumers with a great tasting, high protein and low-fat food product. Whether ham is eaten as an ingredient in a sandwich or as a center-of-the-plate protein for the main meal of the day, it continues to play a vital role as one of our go-to foods.