I understand that when you dry age meat the flavor improves and the meat becomes more tender through the breakdown of lactic acids breaking down lysosomes. It makes sense that the accumulating degraded proteins and acids would add to flavor, by creating the "saltiness" and "sourness" the tastebuds crave. It also seems to make sense that acids in any state of being would break down fiberous tissues aiding in creating tenderness. In places such as the arctic where salt is pretty much non existent the natives would allow the meat to rot to create that taste that the tastebuds crave.
Now allowing for the fact that salting (cures) inhibit the breakdown of the proteins and amino acids as opposed to dry aging, you can see how an item such as a Smithfield Ham would cure and not breakdown and rot.
However, considering also that curing enters into the meat slowly eventually getting to the core of the meat how is it that the inside of the meat closest to the bone would not putrify by the time the cure reached it? I am referring to hams that age over a year.
You would think that marrow being the harbor of so much amino acid and proteins would be the first to go, regardless of the fact that the only oxygen present is what's in the meat at the time of slaughter.
Now allowing for the fact that salting (cures) inhibit the breakdown of the proteins and amino acids as opposed to dry aging, you can see how an item such as a Smithfield Ham would cure and not breakdown and rot.
However, considering also that curing enters into the meat slowly eventually getting to the core of the meat how is it that the inside of the meat closest to the bone would not putrify by the time the cure reached it? I am referring to hams that age over a year.
You would think that marrow being the harbor of so much amino acid and proteins would be the first to go, regardless of the fact that the only oxygen present is what's in the meat at the time of slaughter.