Biochemical and sensory characteristics of traditional fermented sausages of Vallo di Diano (Southern Italy) as affected by the use of starter cultures

In this study, two strains of Staphylococcus xylosus isolated from traditional fermented sausages of Vallo di Diano (Southern Italy) were used in combination with an acidifying strain of Lactobacillus curvatus as starter culture for the production of fermented sausages. Two starter formulation were developed combining the proteolytic but not lipolytic (prt(+), lip(-)) S. xylosus CVS11 with the L. curvatus AVL3 (starter S1) and the S. xylosus FVS21 (prt(-), lip(+)) with the same strain of L. curvatus (starter S2). Proteolysis and lipolysis were observed during ripening by the increase in total free amino acids (FAA) and free fatty acids (FFA), respectively. Such activities were observed in both started and non started sausages (control). Moreover, the proteolytic and lipolytic activities were detected in products started by both formulations irrespective of the presence of such activities in the strains used. Therefore, it was not possible to conclude whether the effect of proteolysis and lipolysis during ripening of the started fermented sausages was due to the activity of the starter cultures or to the action of meat endogenous enzymes.