ABSTRACT
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are the most important bacterial group involved in fermented food production. Some fermented products include additional microbiological groups important for products’ safety and quality, such as coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS), yeasts and molds. CoNS and molds are particularly important in fermented meat products, due to their contribution to proteolytic and lipolytic succession. Yeasts are more commonly employed in the production of cheese and fermented milks (Boekhout and Samson 2005). Some species or strains have been selected as technologically or hygienically superior to others, leading to raw material inoculation (e.g., milk, sausage mixture). Their implementation should upgrade the safety and quality of the fi nal products. Such microbial species or strains are known as (protective) starter cultures which are recognized as safe in fermented food production (Lücke 2000). Recently, there has been expansion of research in the area of autochthonous starter cultures, i.e., the potential application of strains isolated from traditionally fermented foodstuff s in industrial conditions. The purpose of this approach is to produce industrial food products with autochthonous sensorial features with the help of wild strain(s) (Frece et al. 2014). The selection of potential starter cultures should include health-hazard testing, such as the possibility of strains producing biogenic amines, toxins or antibiotic resistance gene carriage.
