Fermented Sausage Analysis

Fermented meat products play a critical role in the food industry, not only as a nutrient source, but also as a rich source of bacterial biodiversity, which could provide beneficial health effects. Raw fermented sausages could be considered as suitable media for the probiotic microorganisms. However, most of the known probiotic bacteria are unable to survive in the harsh environment of sausage, including sodium chloride, nitrite, acid and low water activity. Processing steps and long-term storage of fermented sausage also negatively affect the survival and growth characteristics of probiotic bacteria (Kröckel 2013). Therefore, it is important to select the suitable microorganisms to be applied as probiotic strains in fermented sausages. Some

2006). However, successive inoculation depends on the fruit matrix and also the ingredients used. Artichokes carrot, cabbage, reed beet juices and tomato are found as suitable environments for probiotic fermentation (Di Cagno et al. 2013) while orange and apple juices proved unsuitable as functional foods with their low pH and lack of suitable nutrients (Ding and Shah 2008). Lb. acidophilus, Lb. delbruekii, Lb. paracasei, Lb. plantarum, Bi. animalis, Bi. lactis, Bi. bifidum, Bi. breve, Bi. longum are probiotic strains, which could be used for the fortification of fermented fruit and vegetable products (Table 6). Shelf-life of probiotic strains in fermented fruits and vegetables could be improved by encapsulation technology. However, further studies are needed to show the efficacy and the long-term safety of these applications used in probiotic formulations (Prakash et al.

Fermented foods constitute a significant part of the daily life, not only as nutritive foods, but also as a rich source of microorganisms, including mainly lactic acid bacteria that could also show probiotic characteristics depending on species by keeping healthy gut bacteria and preventing a variety of diseases. Fermenting microorganisms, present in fermentation conditions, transform the raw materials into final products that have improved shelf-life, microbiological and sensory quality with certain health benefits. Although these foods have a variety of beneficial effects, their safety issues should be defined by the studies. In the last decades, more detailed information on the biodiversity of fermented foods has been achieved by the introduction of molecular biology–based methods. The studies on understanding the dynamics and biodiversity of these microorganisms in food fermentations will provide the knowledge of processing and preserving of these foods for the benefit of international communities. Furthermore, the use novel starter strains with industrially important functionality can provide the development of microbiologically safe new products with enhanced nutritional, sensory and health