Effect of Air Movement During Fermentation on Certain Properties of Natural Flora and Starter Culture-Fermented Sausage

Abstract

Effects of air movement (0, 5, 20 and 35 changes/min) during fermentation on certain chemical, physical and microbiological properties of a fermented and cooked summer sausage were determined. Four batches of summer sausage were prepared. Half of each batch was fermented by natural flora and the other half by a Pediococcus cerevisiae starter culture. Sausages were fermented in chambers at 38°C with 94% RH, and samples were taken at 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24 h during fermentation. Samples were also taken after heat processing and overnight chilling. Air movement during fermentation had no significant effect on pH, lactic acid content, cured color development or proximate composition regardless of method of fermentation. Removal of sausage casing was very difficult for all natural flora sausage chubs that were fermented at 5, 20 and 35 air changes/min; however, ease of casing removal improved somewhat at 18 and 24 h of fermentation for sausages made with natural flora and fermented at 0 air change/min. Regardless of air movement treatment, removal of casing from sausages made with starter culture was poor at 6 h of fermentation, but was much improved at 12 h of fermentation and thereafter. Microbial growth was fastest and highest among the natural flora sausage fermented without air flow. An undesirable surface film which developed on the natural flora sausage fermented without air flow consisted of gram negative rods and gram positive cocci.