Probiotic characterization of a commercial starter culture used in the fermentation of sausages

Abstract

Probiotic starter culture does not only improve the safety and shelf-life of products but also extends health benefits to the consumer. This study investigated the probiotic potential of a commercial starter culture used in the fermentation of meat sausages. The starter culture tested, composed of Lactobacillus sakei, Staphylococcus xylosus, and Staphylococcus carnosus, was evaluated for resistance to antimicrobials, low pH values and bile salts; production of gas and capsules; acidification capacity; and growth after exposure to different pH values, temperatures, and curing salts. The antagonistic capacity was also assessed against Escherichia coli ATCC25922, Salmonella Enteritidis ATCC13076, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Staphylococcus aureus ATCC43300, Enterococcus faecalis ATCC29212, and Listeria monocytogenes CERELA. The starter culture was susceptible to all tested antimicrobials and strongly inhibited pathogenic strains, with inhibition halos diameters > 30 mm. The culture was resistant to all concentrations of bile salts tested, did not produce gas or capsules, and could grow within a temperature range of 15 °C to 35 °C in saline medium containing healing salts (nitrite/nitrate). Although, the inability of the culture to withstand low pH, indicating intolerance to stomach acidity, limits its use as a live probiotic, beneficial health effects may be derived from the inactivated culture.

Synergistic Effect of Combination of Various Microbial Hurdles in the Biopreservation of Meat and Meat Products—Systematic Review

“…The most popular microbial hurdles in the studies included in this review were combined starter cultures applied to meat [ 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 ]. The use of a mixture of non-starter protective cultures to inhibit spoilage bacteria or/and foodborne pathogens was also assessed [ 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 , 59 , 60 , 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ].…”

“…Similar results of improvement of the safety and biochemical and sensory characteristics of the fermented meat products when using the combination of LAB and CNS strains were obtained by Du et al (2019) [ 64 ], Frece et al (2014) [ 35 ], Pavli et al (2020) [ 46 ], Zhao et al (2011) [ 53 ], Xiao et al (2020) [ 52 ], Bonomo et al (2011) [ 30 ], Casaburi et al (2017) [ 31 ], Mafra et al (2020) [ 40 ], and Najjari et al (2021) [ 42 ] ( Table 1 ). It is worth mentioning that in the study of Pavli et al (2020) [ 46 ], a three-strain starter culture of Pediococcus pentosaceus , Staphylococcus carnosus and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum L125 was compared with a two-strain starter culture of P. pentosaceus and S. carnosus and applied separately to meat batter.…”

“…Overall, the mix of three-starter cultures was found to possess desirable technological characteristics, indicating its effectiveness for use in fermented sausage manufacturing [ 46 ]. In the study by Mafra et al (2020) [ 40 ], the mixed starter culture composed of Latilactobacillus sakei , Staphylococcus xylosus , and Staphylococcus carnosus was used in the fermentation of meat sausages and resulted in improvement of the safety and shelf-life of products. According to the authors, the mixed starter culture presented technological characteristics anticipated for application in the maturation of sausages [ 40 ].…”

Lactic Acid Bacteria Diversity and Characterization of Probiotic Candidates in Fermented Meats

“…While tolerance to NaCl is not a probiotic feature, the incorporation of probiotic LAB in food products presents major technical challenges if they are sensitive to salt present in the food products that they are added to. Phenol and NaCl tests were performed following the methods by Shehata et al [ 27 ] and Mafra et al [ 28 ]. MRS broth containing the isolates without phenol and sodium chloride was used as controls in the assay.…”

Interferência De Culturas Iniciadoras Nos Parâmetros Químicos E Físico-Químicos Durante as Etapas De Processamento De Salames Tipo Italiano / Interference of Starter Cultures in the Chemical and Physicochemical Parameters During the Processing Stages of Italian Type Salami

“…A secagem inadequada pode gerar um defeito conhecido como anel de desidratação, ocorrido na borda do produto, o que impede a saída de água de seu interior, alem de deixar a textura menos firme e prejudicar a conservação (TERRA et al, 2004;MACEDO et al, 2008 Na primeira semana de processamento, os tratamentos 2 e 3 tiveram maior taxa de queda nos valores de pH do que o tratamento 1 (controle). Isso era esperado, uma vez que esses tratamentos continham as culturas starters, promovendo o aumento da população de bactérias láticas com consequente redução dos valores de pH durante a elaboração dos produtos.…”