Effects of Inoculation of Commercial Starter Cultures on the Quality and Histamine Accumulation in Fermented Sausages

To meet the requirements of high-quality safe products, starter cultures are used to produce fermented sausages. The effects of 3 commercial starter cultures, namely SM-194, T-SPX, and SM-181, on histamine accumulation and quality parameters including microbial quality, pH, water activity, and total volatile base nitrogen, as well as the color and texture properties, were evaluated during the fermentation and ripening of fermented sausages. Although initial counts of Escherichia coli, Enterobacteriaceae, and Pseudomonas were similar in the 4 batches, the growth of these microorganisms was significantly inhibited (P < 0.05) in batches SM-194, T-SPX, and SM-181 throughout the fermentation and ripening period. The counts of E. coli, Enterobacteriaceae, and Pseudomonas increased to maximum levels of 3.89, 4.41, and 5.15 log(10) colony forming units/g in the control sausages, respectively. At the end of ripening, the levels of histamine were 8.85, 0.32, 7.82, and 3.18 mg/kg for batches C, SM-194, T-SPX, and SM-181, respectively. The results revealed that commercial starter cultures, particularly starter cultures SM-194 and SM-181, made a great contribution to histamine reduction. In addition, batches inoculated with starter cultures showed a stronger acidification and lower level of total volatile base nitrogen than the control sample during production (P < 0.05). In conclusion, it seems that the inoculation of commercial starter cultures, particularly starter cultures SM-194 and SM-181, contributes to improving microbial quality, hygienic quality and food safety of fermented sausages. Practical Application Fermented sausages are preferred by many consumers for their strong characteristic flavors, aroma, texture, and taste. However, high levels of histamine and hygienic quality problems in fermented sausages are major problems for public health and food safety. Thus, it is worthwhile to select favorable conditions to strictly control histamine accumulation and improve hygienic quality. In this study, the effects of 3 commercial starter cultures on histamine accumulation and quality parameters were evaluated during the fermentation and ripening of sausages. The results indicate that addition of commercial starter cultures was beneficial for microbial quality and contributed to histamine reduction.