The Influence of Traditional and Industrial Smoking Technologies on the Physicochemical Properties, Color, and Texture of Traditional Meat Products

The aim of this study is to evaluate the influence of traditional and industrial smoking technologies on the physicochemical properties, color, texture, and mass loss of selected cured pork products. Four products (dry-cured pork neck, dry-cured pork loin, pancetta, and fermented sausages in natural and collagen casings) were produced using two smoking regimes (traditional and industrial). The samples were analyzed at two processing stages, after smoking and at the end of the production process. Physicochemical composition, pH, water activity (aw), color parameters (CIE L*a*b*), texture profile parameters, and mass loss were determined using standard analytical methods. Statistical differences between treatments were evaluated using the analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by Fisher’s least significant difference (LSD) test (p < 0.05). Traditional smoking resulted in greater dehydration, with moisture content reduced by approximately 8–15% and water activity lower by about 0.04–0.09 compared with industrial smoking. Traditionally smoked products also showed higher mass loss (up to 10–12%) and lower L* values, indicating darker color. Texture profile analysis indicated higher hardness values in several traditionally smoked products, particularly in sausages and pancetta. In contrast, industrial smoking resulted in higher moisture retention and more uniform physicochemical characteristics. The differences between smoking regimes were less pronounced in dry-cured pork neck. These results demonstrate that smoking technology significantly influences dehydration dynamics and several technological quality parameters of cured meat products, providing useful information for optimizing smoking regimes in traditional and industrial meat processing.