Probiotic Fermented Sausage

Abstract

Many changes and innovations in fermented meat products have occurred over time, especially when it comes to health-promoting products. Some studies have been conducted with the aim of developing probiotic meat products that can improve the functionality of the gut microbiota. However, the technological challenges faced during the production of fermented meat sausages make it difficult to apply probiotics in these food matrices. For probiotics to deliver the expected health outcomes for consumers, they need to grow in the products and at the end the viable cell count must be sufficient for the microorganisms to reach the consumer’s gut. Therefore, in this chapter we describe a protocol for probiotic Friolano-type sausage. Furthermore, the possible sources of defects in the production of probiotic salami and the best alternatives to overcome them are presented.

1 Introduction

Meat sausages are products elaborated with meat or edible organs, seasoned and smoked, and can be cured, cooked or dried, wrapped in tripe, bladder or other animal membrane properly cleaned [1]. Fermented sausages are products that undergo a rapid initial fermentation followed by partial dehydration and may or may not be smoked. They are meat products consisting mainly of pork or beef, but can be produced with other meat types, in addition to pork fat, salt, sugar, curing agent, spices and starter cultures. They do not require refrigeration and have great stability compared to other meat products [2].

Friolano Salami is a kind of fermented sausage made exclusively from pork and lard, ground to a medium particle size of 6–9 mm and with the addition of the other ingredients required. It has an irregular cylindrical shape (defined by the shape of the natural wrap) with length ranging from 15 to 130 cm. Its weight ranges from 0.2 to 4.5 kg and presents non-elastic consistency, compact mass, delicate aroma, sweet and delicate flavor, and ruby red color without spots. It is a cured product, which can go through the smoking process, being fermented, matured, and dried [2].

In the world of fermented meat sausages many changes and innovations have taken place over time, especially when it comes to products that are beneficial to health, since the demand for these foods has become a priority for many consumers. With this in mind, studies have been conducted with the addition of probiotics in meat sausages [3].

Probiotics are live microorganisms that when properly added to products present benefits to the consumer’s health, with specific effects and functional properties [4]. In addition, they contribute to the balance of intestinal microflora, helping the intestinal transit and facilitating digestion, relieve the symptoms of lactose intolerance, prevent colon cancer, reduce cholesterol and blood pressure, stimulate the immune system, produce B-complex vitamins, digestive and protective enzymes, protect against pathogenic microorganisms and control inflammatory vessel diseases [4,5,6].

However, for them to present the expected results they need to grow in the products, and at the end of the shelf life the viable cell count should be enough for the microorganisms to reach the consumer’s intestine, which makes their application in fermented sausages difficult, due to their high acidity and salt content, and lower water activity (a_w) [4]. Therefore, in some studies probiotics are added microencapsulated in foods, which ensures the viability of the probiotic microorganisms during the process and in the final product [6]. Therefore, this chapter is directed towards the design of a probiotic Friolano Salami protocol. Furthermore, the possible sources of defects in meat sausages and the best alternatives to overcome them are presented.

2 Materials

• 1. Pork shank meat.

• 2. Back fat (lard).

• 3. Sodium chloride.

• 4. Curing salts (sodium nitrate).

• 5. Sugar.

• 6. Garlic powder.

• 7. Chili powder.

• 8. Probiotic culture (Table 1).

• 9. Starter culture (Table 2).

• 10. Collagen wrap with 50 a 60 mm.

Table 1 Probiotic or potentially probiotic cultures in meat products and the main results found in the studies

Table 2 Main starter cultures used in meat sausages

2.1 Equipment

• 1. Meat grinder with 6–9 mm disc.

• 2. Lard cuber.

• 3. Mixer.

• 4. Maturation chamber.

• 5. Drying chamber.

3 Methods

The protocol for making a probiotic Friolano Salami is illustrated in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1

Steps for the elaboration of a probiotic Friolano Salami

3.1 Probiotic Cultures

• 1. Use direct vat set (DVS) or direct vat inoculation (DVI) cultures that allow the addition of probiotic strains directly into the food matrix. See Chapter 13 for the main suppliers of DVS probiotic strains (Table 1).

3.2 Friolano Salami Manufacture

• 1. Grind the raw pork meat (85% of the raw material) with a 6–9 mm disc at a temperature of 4–7 °C and then transfer it to the blender.

• 2. Cut the bacon (15% of the raw material) in an incubator at 0 °C into cubes of no more than 1 cm. Add the lard to the meat in the blender.

• 3. Add 2.5% sodium chloride, 0.3% sugar, 0.03% chili powder, 0.3% garlic powder, and 0.015% sodium nitrate over the meat in the blender.

• 4. Mix the ground meat, minced lard, and the other ingredients and additives for 2 min in the mixer at 4 °C.

• 5. Add the starter culture and the probiotic culture at 10⁸ CFU/g. Mix for about 2 min (See Notes 1–3).

• 6. After a resting phase of 24 h at 0–2 °C, the mixture must be filled using a vacuum filler (See Note 4).

• 7. Clip the salami and spray an aqueous mold solution on the surface wrap (See Note 5).

• 8. Hang the salami and transfer it to the fermentation chamber (See Note 6).

• 9. In the fermentation chamber, the dripping phase occurs at 20 °C for 14–20 h.

• 10. Keep the salami in the drying room at 20 °C, relative humidity 60 to 80% for 96 to 144 h (See Note 7).

• 11. Finally, after drying, transfer the salami to the ripening room at 12–18 °C for 23 days (See Note 8).

• 12. The salami can be washed and, thus, packaged in packs without light and oxygen permeability (See Note 9).

4 Notes

• 1. The starter culture commonly used in salami is Staphylococcus xylosus, which produces lipolytic and proteolytic activity enzymes that are fundamental in the formation and color stability of the final product, and is involved in aroma formation; Latilactobacillus sakei with fermenting action, producer of lactic acid and antibacterial metabolites, has also protective action; and Staphylococcus carnosus, which adds flavor, has protective and fermenting action.

• 2. At the end of this stage, the temperature of the mixture rises to about 6 °C.

• 3. The lactic acid bacteria lower the pH and produce aromatic compounds in the sausage, also masking the bitterness of the curing salts. In addition, they produce reducing conditions, helping to not develop oxidized flavors, and improving color, since they favor the development of meat pigments by stabilizing Fe²⁺. The also protect the pigments from oxidation by blocking the formation of undesirable compounds in the product.

• 4. To avoid air residue in the meat paste, it is very important that no air be trapped in the salami.

• 5. Optionally smoking can be done, but knowing the bacteriostatic effect it can have on some probiotics, this step is not recommended for probiotic Salami.

• 6. Until pH 4.6–5.4 is reached and for color development.

• 7. The time of the drying step is given by the weight loss function chosen as the target, which in turn depends on the quality of the lean meat fraction used. If an initial step aimed at losing water from fresh meat is performed in ventilation systems before grinding, with the objective of losing moisture, the next drying step can be shorter. At the end of the drying stage, the temperature of the drying environment is usually a third lower than it was at the beginning.

• 8. The length of the ripening chamber will depend on the targeted weight loss. A time of 23 days is sufficient to lower the water activity (a_w < 0.9) and achieve the physical-chemical characteristics of Friolano Salami. The weight loss at the end of ripening (intended as a complete cycle) is about 38%. This weight loss value can vary according to the lean to fat ratio, diameter, salt concentration, etc. If the previous drying phase has been carried out correctly in terms of weight loss, during the first days of maturation some mold colonies appear on the surface of the wrap. However, this step must be carefully considered since the lower a_w can lead to the loss of probiotic viability.

• 9. The viability of probiotics over storage depends on the individual strain. Some examples of viability time in storage can be seen in Table 1.