Dried sausages fermented with Staphylococcus xylosus at different temperatures and with different ingredient levels.: Part I. Chemical and bacterial data

Sausages with added Staphylococcus xylosus were fermented at different temperatures and with different added levels of salt, glucose, nitrite, nitrate and Pediococcus pentosaceus in accordance with a six factor fractional design. The numbers of surviving Staphylococcus xylosus, lactic acid bacteria, pH, free fatty acids and residual amounts of nitrite and nitrate were measured.

The effects of temperature and different ingredients on the chemical and bacterial data were tested using multiple linear regression and analysis of variance. The study showed that numbers of surviving Staphylococcus xylosus were reduced by high fermentation temperature, especially when salt concentration was low and glucose concentration high.

High levels of nitrite and addition of Pediococcus pentosaceus had adverse effects as well. pH was lowered by high fermentation temperature, low salt concentration and addition of glucose and Pediococcus pentosaceus. On the other hand pH was increased by addition of nitrate. The pH-lowering effect of glucose was small when temperature was low.

The residual levels of nitrite and nitrate were increased by addition of nitrate, but then increased and decreased, respectively, by increasing temperature. Addition of glucose and Pediococcus pentosaceus lowered the residual amount of nitrite. The level of free fatty acids was reduced by salt and increased by higher temperature.

Of the individual acids, the amount of linoleic acid was also increased by addition of Pediococcus pentosaceus and decreased by nitrate.