Miguel Elias

Distribution of aminogenic activity among potential autochthonous starter cultures for dry fermented sausages.

Any bacterial strain to be used as starter culture should have suitable characteristics, including a lack of amino acid decarboxylase activity. In this study, the decarboxylase activity of 76 bacterial strains, including lactic acid bacteria and gram-positive, catalase-positive cocci, was investigated. These strains were previously isolated from European traditional fermented sausages to develop autochthonous starter cultures. Of all the strains tested, 48% of the lactic acid bacteria strains and 13% of gram-positive, catalase-positive cocci decarboxylated one or more amino acids. Aminogenic potential was strain dependent, although some species had a higher proportion of aminogenic strains than did others. Thus, all Lactobacillus curvatus strains and 70% of Lactobacillus brevis strains had the capacity to produce tyramine and beta-phenylethylamine. Some strains also produced other aromatic amines, such as tryptamine and the diamines putrescine and cadaverine. All the enterococcal strains tested were decarboxylase positive, producing high amounts of tyramine and considerable amounts of beta-phenylethylamine. None of the staphylococcal strains had tyrosine-decarboxylase activity, but some produced other amines. From the aminogenic point of view, Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus sakei, and Staphylococcus xylosus strains would be the most suitable for use as autochthonous starter cultures for traditional fermented sausages.

The Use of Starter Cultures in Traditional Meat Products

Starter cultures could play an essential role in the manufacture of traditional cured meat products. In order to achieve objectives related to meat products’ quality and safety improvement, the selection of particular strains constituting a starter culture should be carried out in the context of its application, since its functionality will depend on the type of sausage and process conditions. Also, strain selection should comply with particular requirements to warrant safety. The aim of the current review is to update the knowledge on the use of starter cultures in traditional meat products, with focus on dry-fermented products. In this manuscript, we will try to give answers to some relevant questions: Which starter cultures are used and why? Why are LAB used? What are their role and their specific mode of action? Which other groups of microorganisms (bacteria and fungi) are used as starter cultures and how do they act? A particular revision of omics approach regarding starter cultures is made since the use of these techniques allows rapid screening of promising wild strains with desirable functional characteristics, enabling the development of starter cultures better adapted to the meat matrix.

Traditional Meat Products: Improvement of Quality and Safety

1 Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas (ICAAM), Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal 2Instituto de Investigação e Formação Avançada (IIFA), Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal 3Université Clermont Auvergne, INRA, MEDIS, Clermont-Ferrand, France 4Institute of Animal Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovakia 5CIISA, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Lisbon, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Pólo Universitário do Alto da Ajuda, 1300-477 Lisbon, Portugal 6Departamento de Fitotecnia, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Évora, Pólo daMitra, Ap. 94, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal

Shelf-life extension and quality improvement of a Portuguese traditional ready-to-eat meat product with vinegar

1 ICAAM-Instituto de Ciências Agr arias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas, Universidade de Evora, P olo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Evora, Portugal 2 IIFA-Instituto de Investigac ~ao e Formac ~ao Avanc ada, Universidade de Evora, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Evora, Portugal 3 Departamento de Medicina Veterin aria, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Evora, P olo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Evora, Portugal 4 Departamento de Fitotecnia, Escola de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade de Evora, P olo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 Evora, Portugal 5 LAQV, REQUIMTE, Departamento de Qu ımica, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 2829-516 Caparica, Portugal 6 CIISA-Centro de Investigac ~ao Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterin aria, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. da Universidade T ecnica, P olo Universit ario, Alto da Ajuda, 1300-477 Lisboa, Portugal