EFFECTS OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA ON QUALITY OF COUNTRY‐STYLE HAM

Abstract

ABSTRACTAged country‐style ham quality characteristics were compared among nine hams that had been inoculated with 4.8 × 105 cells/g of ham with Staphylococcus epidermidis; three of these same hams received an additional inoculum of 2.7 × 108 cells/g of ham of Lactobacillus plantarum, and three recieved an inoculum of 1.7 × 108 cells/g of ham of Pediococcus cerevisiae. The experimental design was a 3 × 3 factorial. Thereafter, three dry curing mixtures were applied containing equal ratios of NaNO3 to NaNO2, but three levels of salt and sugar were applied to equal numbers of hams from each inoculum combination. Ham quality, as evaluated by objective and subjective methods of analysis, was satisfactory in all hams. However, L. plantarum produced the most acid, and slightly bitter flavors resulted. P. cerevisiae appeared to produce invertase, and hams containing lactic acid bacteria had less nitrate remaining after aging than hams injected with staphylococci. High acid production and a lower water activity were probably responsible for the reduced final staphylococcal counts in hams inoculated with lactic acid bacteria. Taste panel scores for acidity were associated with pH and titratable acidity. No ham spoilage occurred in this study, and reduction in processing time appears feasible.