Chapter 8 - Lactic acid bacteria in meat fermentation: Dry sausage safety and quality

Abstract

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are one of the most important microbial groups involved in the biochemical, microbiological, and sensory succession changes during maturation of fermented sausages. The production of two main groups of dry sausages, including industrial and traditional, is equally dependent on these bacteria. The use of LAB as starter cultures in large-scale production is nowadays well standardized, but new starters with biotechnological and safety advantages are needed. In this regard, traditional fermented sausages, matured for months under natural conditions, represent a range niche of potential starter strains that can be used in the fermented meat industry. Their selection involves technological and safety characterization under laboratory and pilot scale. Favorable effects of LAB within quality or safety parameters are expected in terms of color development, acidity, proteolysis, lipolysis, aroma, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities. In addition, the use of LAB as a probiotic is considered to be a never-ending trend in the development of healthier fermented sausages. However, the concept of probiotic is hardly possible in standard red-meat sausage varieties with high fat content, saturated fatty acids, or salt. In this context, the production of novel dry fermented hen meat sausages is presented with regard to the probiotic properties of LAB for possible functional meat products development.