Probiotic Fermented Sausage: Viability of Probiotic Microorganisms and Sensory Characteristics

Abstract

Probiotics are from functional foods that bring health benefits for humans. Nowadays, a major development in functional foods is related to food containing probiotic cultures, mainly lactic acid bacteria or bifidobacteria. Probiotics must be alive and ingested in sufficient amounts to exert the positive effects on the health and the well-being of the host. Therefore, viability of probiotic products (the minimum viable probiotic cells in each gram or milliliter of product till the time of consumption) is their most important characteristic. However, these organisms often show poor viability in fermented products due to their detrimental conditions. Today, the variety of fermented meat products available around the world is nearly equal to that of cheese. With meat products, raw fermented sausages could constitute an appropriate vehicle for such microorganisms into the human gastrointestinal tract. In present article, the viability of probiotic microorganisms in fermented sausage, the main factors affect their viability, and the sensorial characteristics of final product are discussed.

The Use of Starter Cultures in Traditional Meat Products

“…Then, a second generation of starter cultures comprising meat-borne strains, such as L. sakei and coagulasenegative staphylococci (CNS), was developed, harbouring phenotypic traits of technological relevance [17]. More recently, efforts have been dedicated to the study of the physiological and technological properties of LAB and CNS isolated from traditional fermented sausages, in order to develop functional starter cultures that enhance safety and nutritional advantages while maintaining industrial performance [5,18]. The manufacturing of dry-fermented sausages involves spontaneous fermentation commanded by bacteria (LAB) and GCC+ and, less importantly, by fungi, namely, moulds and yeasts [19].…”

“…Although dairy products are the most commonly used food vehicles for the delivery of probiotics, several studies dealing with the use of probiotics in fermented meat products to improve their nutritional value as functional foods have been reported [5,154,[165][166][167].…”

“…Recently, the possibility of developing probiotic meat products has been discussed [4]. By using probiotic starter microorganisms, potential health benefits can be introduced to meat products and it is already possible to produce probiotic meat products [5,6]. Nevertheless, the potentially beneficial effects on Additionally, microbial substances, namely, bacteriocins, produced by Gram-positive species of the LAB group, such as, for example, nisin and other lantibiotics or pediocin-like bacteriocins, have an antimicrobial role with an effect on preservation and safety.…”

Health and Safety Considerations of Fermented Sausages

“…There are some significant challenges in using fermented sausages as probiotic products in comparison with dairy products. The most important are as follows: (i) the meat raw material is not sterilized or pasteurized before the fermentation process and a probiotic bacterium must therefore be as competitive as any starter culture normally used for the fermentation to outcompete the endogenous flora; (ii) the mature sausage constitutes a harsh environment with low and containing salt and nitrate; thus, survival of the probiotic after fermentation should be validated; (iii) the numbers of the probiotic after maturation and storage must be very high since the serving size and daily consumption of fermented sausage product are generally less than a comparable dairy product; and (iv) the probiotic should produce an acceptable product with regard to taste and quality [89,90]. There are two main alternatives in the research and development of probiotic fermented sausages.…”

Trends in dairy and non-dairy probiotic products - a review

“…While developing functional probiotic foods, selection of a suitable food system to deliver probiotics is a vital factor (Ranadheera et al 2010). Retaining viability and sensory characteristics are the major criteria for the success of these products in the market (Rouhi et al 2013). Technological conditions while producing the probiotic foods can significantly reduce the viability of probiotic cells due to heat, mechanical damage or due to cell injury caused by osmotic stress (Fu and Chen 2011;Bustos and Bórquez 2013).…”