ABSTRACT
Native microbial population of the traditional fermented sausages is a rich source of potential autochthonous starter cultures for traditional or industrial applications. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) are the main microbial groups involved in the meat fermentation and routinely implemented in sausage production as starters, in order to upgrade product’s safety and quality. The main challenge in selection of members of starter cultures is to improve food safety, and also to preserve the typical sensory quality of traditional sausages (Talon et al. 2008). The most promising microorganisms for starter cultures are those which are selected from autochthonous microbiota since they are well adapted to the meat environment and to the specific manufacturing process and are capable of dominating the microbiota of the product due to their specific metabolic capabilities. Nowadays, increasing number of studies has been focused on the isolation and identification of autochthonous functional starter cultures, with the aim of developing new functional meat products, which will be recognized and labelled as autochthonous due to the influence of climate
and vegetation of the region where they are produced (Babić et al. 2011, Frece et al. 2014a, c). Examples include microorganisms that generate aroma compounds, health-promoting compounds, bacteriocins and other antimicrobials, contribute to cured meat colour, possess probiotic qualities, or lack negative properties such as the production of biogenic amines and toxic compounds (Leroy et al. 2006). The strain selection is based on general, technological and functional properties which should be tested by phenotypic and genotypic methods. Thus competitive and protective autochthonous functional starter cultures contribute to the reduction or elimination of microbiological and toxicological risks but also contribute in traditional sensory properties of meat product.
