ABSTRACT
The production of fermented sausages includes mixing of minced meat and fatty tissue with curing agents, carbohydrates and spices, stuffing into casings, fermentation and ripening. Fermentation and ripening of spontaneously fermented sausages may take place in three, two or one step. The first has been reported for the production of salciccia sotto sugna; the initial drying stage at 24°C, 80% relative humidity (RH) for 24 hr is followed by fermentation stages at 18-22°C, 75-89% RH for 5 days and 15-20°C, 80-85% RH for 2 months. The second stage of fermentation is not performed in fixed conditions, for example the fermented sausages prepared in Greece. Finally, fermentation may be carried out in only one step, such as in the case of sobrasada or Salame di Senise. Generation of flavor compounds during manufacture of dry fermented sausages has been extensively studied and the importance of factors such as product formulation and processing parameters has been adequately highlighted.
