Effect of lysozyme and Chinese liquor on Staphylococcus aureus growth, microbiome, flavor profile, and the quality of dry fermented sausage

Abstract

The synergistic effect of lysozyme and Chinese liquor on the inhibition of Staphylococcus aureus growth and staphylococcal enterotoxin production, as well as the effect on microbiome, flavor profile, and the quality improvement of dry fermented sausages during 18 days storage were evaluated. The result of the disc diffusion method showed that 25 μL/mL of liquor (the corresponding concentration of alcohol was 10 μL/mL) and 10 mg/mL of lysozyme had a more significant ( P < 0.05) effect on the inhibition of S. aureus than that of other concentrations. Lysozyme combined with liquor could significantly reduce (decrement of 2.8 log 10 CFU/g) the total S. aureus counts of sausages, and significantly inhibit staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs) production. The combination treatment had the highest diversity among the four treatments. Moreover, the combination treatment promoted the formation of more volatile compounds, but the total relative content was lower than that of liquor and lysozyme treatments. There were no obvious effects on TBARS values in different treatments. The total volatile basic nitrogen in combination treated sausages was generally lower than that of other treatments. This study confirmed that the combination treatment could be an alternative to improve the safety and quality of sausages. • The synergistic effects of lysozyme and Chinese liquor were evaluated. • The combination treatment has a synergistic inhibition effect of S. aureus. • The combination treatment could increase the diversity of the bacterial community. • Liquor could contribute to the formation of volatile compounds.