IntroductionThe manufacture of fermented foods has a long tradition. At first, there was a purely empirical principle without the connection between metabolic activity of microorganisms (so-called "house flora") and desired changes in the product krÖCkel, 1992). The fermentation process was used to improve shelf-life and safety of foods enabling people in moderate and cold regions to survive winter seasons and drought periods (HolzAPFel, 1997). Spontaneous fermentation of sausages is characterized by the participation of lactic acid bacteria, Gram-positive, catalase-positive cocci, yeasts, and moulds (BUCkeNHÜSkeS, 1993).Modern starter cultures are selected either as single or multiple strains specifically due to their adaptation to the substrate or raw material (HolzAPFel, 2002). The Iinoculation of sausage batter with a starter culture composed of selected lactic acid bacteria, i. e. homofermentative lactobacilli and/ or pediococci and Gram-positive, and catalase-positive cocci (staphylococci and/or kokuriae) improves quality, safety, properties standardization, including flavor and color, and shortening in the ripening time (leroY; VerlUYTeN; VUYST, 2006;rANTSIoU et al., 2005). lactic acid bacteria have the main role in this microbial consortium since they affect both the technological properties and the microbial stability of the final product through the production of lactic and acetic acids and the consequent pH decrease (DroSINoS et al., 2007).Meat fermentation by natural lactic acid bacteria can sometimes fail leading to products of poor quality. For this reason, the addition of starter cultures has been recommended and has become common in the manufacture of several types of fermented sausages (ANDrIGUeTTo;zAMPeSe;loMBArDI, 2001;HolzAPFel, 2002). In artisanal production of traditional fermented sausages, it is important to use starter cultures consisting of lactobacilli isolated from local products and that are well adapted to the particular product and to the specific production technology (ANDrIGUeTTo;zAMPeSe;loMBArDI, 2001). Starter cultures contain lactic acid bacteria
AbstractIn the present study, technological properties of L. plantarum strains isolated from naturally fermented sausages manufactured in the South region of Brazil were investigated in order to obtain a starter culture. The technological properties evaluated were the following: ability to growth at different pH values, at different temperatures, in different salt concentrations and in the presence of commercial curing salt, fast production of acid, determination of D -and l -lactic acid; nitrate reductase activity; antagonistic activity and stability of the isolated cultures after fermentation, concentration, and freeze-drying process. The isolated strains showed effectiveness to improve technological properties as starter cultures. Keywords: L. plantarum; technological properties; sausage.
ResumoNo presente estudo foram investigadas as propriedades tecnológicas de culturas de L. plantarum, isoladas de salames artesanais, naturalment...