Abstract
Recently, specific dry-cured hams have started to be produced in San Daniele and Parma areas. The ingredients are similar to protected denomination of origin (PDO) produced in San Daniele or Parma areas, and include pork leg, coming from pigs bred in the Italian peninsula, salt and spices. However, these specific new products cannot be marked as a PDO, either San Daniele or Parma dry cured ham, because they are seasoned for 6 months, and the mark PDO is given only to products seasoned over 13 months. Consequently, these products are called short-seasoned dry-cured ham (SSDCH) and are not branded PDO. During their seasoning period, particularly from the first drying until the end of the seasoning period, many molds, including Eurotium spp. and Penicillium spp., can grow on the surface and work together with other molds and tissue enzymes to produce a unique aroma. Both of these strains typically predominate over other molds. However, molds producing ochratoxins, such as Aspergillus ochraceus and Penicillium nordicum, can simultaneously grow and produce ochratoxin A (OTA). Consequently, these dry-cured hams may represent a potential health risk for consumers. Recently, Aspergillus westerdijkiae has been isolated from SSDCHs, which could represent a potential problem for consumers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to inhibit A. westerdijkiae using Debaryomyces hansenii or Lactobacillus buchneri or a mix of both microorganisms. Six D. hansenii and six L. buchneri strains were tested in vitro for their ability to inhibit A. westerdijkiae. The strains D. hansenii (DIAL)1 and L. buchneri (Lb)4 demonstrated the highest inhibitory activity and were selected for in situ tests. The strains were inoculated or co-inoculated on fresh pork legs for SSDCH production with OTA-producing A. westerdijkiae prior to the first drying and seasoning. At the end of seasoning (six months), OTA was not detected in the SSDCH treated with both microorganisms and their combination. Because both strains did not adversely affect the SSDCH odor or flavor, the combination of these strains are proposed for use as starters to inhibit OTA-producing A. westerdijkiae.
Highlights
A particular type of dry-cured ham has begun to be produced in different Italian areas
Considering that little is known about the bioprotective effects of LAB against molds and that the many opportunities that yeasts and LAB could have in mold inhibition, the goal of this study was to evaluate the abilities of Debaryomyces hansenii and Lactobacillus buchneri to control A. westerdijkiae ochratoxin A (OTA) production during seasoned dry-cured ham (SSDCH) production
The diameters of A. westerdijkiae colonies were reduced by approximately 75%, 70%, and 72% by D. hansenii DIAL1 and by approximately 38.2%, 35.5%, and 25.5% by L. buchneri Lb4 in medium containing 1%, 3%, and 5% NaCl, respectively
Summary
A particular type of dry-cured ham has begun to be produced in different Italian areas. The product is obtained from pork legs (minimum 12 kg) that are brined and seasoned for only six months Because it is seasoned for less than 13 months, this product cannot be branded as a protected denomination of origin (PDO) product, such as San Daniele or Parma dry-cured hams. In some cases, the use of short seasoning times can cause high moisture levels on the surface of the hams, which has detrimental effects, such as the growth of ochratoxin A (OTA)-producing molds. Small-scale or artisanal lots of SSDCH or meat products were contaminated with A. westerdijkiae [16,19,20] This mold can grow during the drying and seasoning steps and produces over 1 μg OTA kg−1 meat. Yeasts and LAB, due to their natural presence in meat products, were used as a first weapon
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