Use of Staphylococcus xylosus as a starter culture in dried sausages:: effect on the biogenic amine content

The main objective of this work was to investigate if the use of Staphylococcus xylosus S81 as a starter culture in sausage production can influence the amount of histamine during ripening, and the concentration of the other most important biogenic an-tines, by influencing the activity of the microbial amino oxidases as well as the aminoacid decarboxylases. The results confirm that the biogenic amines presence in foods is the consequence of a complex equilibrium between the composition of the medium and the enzymatic activities of the microbial population. In addition, the results suggest that the presence and relative activity of amino oxidases should be considered as an important characteristic in the selection of starter cultures used in the production of fermented foods. (C) 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.