During meat fermentation, LAB produces lactic acid that acts on meat proteins and lowers water-holding capacity contributing to moisture loss, texture, flavour, and aroma development. Starter cultures effectively minimize the risk of chemical hazards like biogenic amines, nitrosamines, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and pesticide residues in fermented meat products as well as the food-borne pathogens and mycotoxins by lowering the pH and production of bacteriocins.
Mould starters such as Penicillium nalgiovense and P. gladioli grow luxuriantly on the surface and prevent oxidative changes in dry-cured meat products by obstructing penetration of light and oxygen resulting in the stability of taste and colour, facilitating drying by buffering against fluctuations in relative humidity, improve texture and flavour, exert antimicrobial activity against pathogenic or spoilage microorganisms.
In naturally fermented sausage, the surface mycoflora is predominantly the yeasts during the processing stage, followed by an increase of moulds at the beginning of the ripening process; after two weeks of ripening, the population of both yeasts and moulds become equal and during the drying process, the sausage is entirely dominated by moulds as it is more tolerant to reduced water activity. Careful selection of mould starters is important to prevent toxin production by wild strains in fermented meat products.
Author(s) Details:
Rajendra Nath Borpuzari
Department of Livestock Products Technology, Assam Agricultural University, College of Veterinar Science, Khanapara, Guwahati – 781022, India.
Trishna Borpuzari
Department of Livestock Products Technology, Assam Agricultural University, College of Veterinary Science, Khanapara, Guwahati – 781022, India.
Rashmi Rekha Saikia
Department of Livestock Products Technology, Assam Agricultural University, Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science, Joyhing, North-Lakhimpur- 787051, India.
Recent Global Research Developments in Impact of Starter Cultures on the Safety of Fermented Meat Products
Role of Starter Cultures on the Safety of Fermented Meat Products: This article discusses how starter cultures, particularly lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), enhance the safety of fermented meat products by rapid acidification and production of antimicrobial substances like bacteriocins. It also covers the reduction of biogenic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) through the use of specific starter strains [1] .
Editorial on the Role of Starters on the Safety of Fermented Food Products: This editorial highlights the antimicrobial activity of starter cultures against foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus. It also emphasizes the role of starters in ensuring product standardization and enhancing sensory properties [2] .
Review on the Role of Starters on the Microbiological and Chemical Safety of Fermented Meat Products: This review addresses the selection of starter cultures to control microbiological hazards and chemical contaminants in fermented meat products. It discusses the role of LAB in inhibiting spoilage microorganisms and reducing the formation of harmful compounds [3] .
Impact of Autochthonous Starter Cultures on Fermented Meat Products: Recent studies have shown that autochthonous starter cultures can control the accumulation of biogenic amines while retaining the sensory properties of fermented meat products. This research focuses on the competitive exclusion of spoilage microbiota by starter cultures [1] .
Technological and Protective Starter Cultures in Fermented Foods: This research topic covers the selection of technological and protective starter cultures, their role in food safety, and the effects of technological procedures on the microbiome of fermented food products. It also explores the use of metagenomics and metabolomics in understanding the safety of fermented foods[2] .
References
- Laranjo M, Potes ME and Elias M (2019) Role of Starter Cultures on the Safety of Fermented Meat Products. Front. Microbiol. 10:853. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00853
- Citation: Laranjo M (2023) Editorial: Role of starters on the safety of fermented food products. Front. Microbiol. 14:1260403. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2023.1260403
- Laranjo M, Potes ME, Elias M. Role of Starter Cultures on the Safety of Fermented Meat Products. Frontiers in Microbiology. 2019 ;10:853. DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.00853. PMID: 31133993; PMCID: PMC6524729.
