'Bone taint' is one of the most important causes of spoilage of dry cured ham. This alteration is characterized by a foul-smelling odour. The microbial population and volatile compounds associated with incipient 'bone taint' were evaluated. Enterobacteriaceae species were found at levels of 7.94 x 10(5) cfu g(-1) in spoiled hams and were not detected in unspoiled hams. Serratia sp. and Proteus sp. are the main organisms characterized. The volatile compounds from the spoiled hams give rise to higher levels of ketones, alcohols and esters than unspoiled hams, that could be originated by microbial metabolism of the above bacteria. Thus, volatile and Enterobacteriaceae analyses should be used to determine this incipient spoilage in the meat industry.