Fermentation of Meat Products

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Fermentation of Meat Products

• Animal Science 550
• Lynn Knipe
• Ohio State University

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Fermentation of Meat Products, Based Upon

• microbes using carbohydrates as energy
  source.
• floral inversion inhibits Gram- organisms.
• pH reduced from 6.0 to 5.0.

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M.O.s Using Carbohydrates as Energy Source

• Carbohydrates fermented before attacking
  protein fat.
• Low fat ground beef containing starch.

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Floral Inversion Inhibits Gram Negative
Organisms

• Fresh meat Gram negative organisms.
• 2-3.5 salt, plus nitrite causes floral
  inversion.

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pH Reduced from 6.0 to 5.0

• Controls microbial growth.
• Decreases water- holding capacity.
• Faster drying at iso- electric point (pI,
  5.1- 5.3).

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Backslop Method

• Wild inoculation favored growth of lactics
• Unique flavors
• Lactobacilli (heterofermentive)
• decarboxylation (tyr
  to tyramine)
• CO2 H202
• Staph (coagulase positive)

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Commercial Cultures

• 1958 - first starter cultures available to
  meat industry
• Characteristics
• Facultative anaerobes
• Tolerant of 2-3 salt
• Favor lactic acid production
• Rapid fermentation to inhibit Staph.

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Commercial Cultures

• Developed for 4 functions
• acidity
• flavor
• color
• texture

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USDA-Approved Organisms for Meat

• Pediococcus
• Lactobacillus plantarium
• Micrococcus
• not coagulase negative Staph.

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Pediococcus

• best for temperature gt90ºF
• short lag phase
• homofermentative - produce only lactic acid
• e.g., Lactacel
• P. cervisiae, P. acidilactici, and P. pentosaceus

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Lactobacillus plantarium

• better for 60-90ºF (common for dry
  sausage)
• other L. species are heterofermentative
• produce CO2 H202

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Micrococcus

• reduces nitrates nitrites to nitric oxide
• reduces H202
• M. varians

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Commercial Procedures

• Purchase frozen cultures
• special delivery, in CO2
• Thaw containers needed
• 1 container per 500 lbs.
• calculated for 106 per g. meat
• good for 2-3 hrs, then discard
• Reduce nitrite by half
• Add culture last to mixer

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Meat pH Controlled by

• qty. of dextrose added
• fermentn temperatures
• culture specific
• fermentn time, before cooking
• minimize time to pH 5.3 (to reduce chances of
  Staph toxin)
• 6 to 18 hrs.

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Types of Fermented Meat Products

• Semi-dry sausage
• summer sausage
• ferment to lt pH 5.3
• fully cooked (155-160F)
• Aw .90 - .94 (not shelf stable)
• Non-refrigd semi-dry
• pH lt5.0
• mp ratio lt3.1
• fully cooked/natural smoke

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Types of Fermented Meat Products (Contd)

• Dry Sausage
• Pepperoni, Genoa Salami, Dry Salami, etc.
• lower temperature longer process than for
  semi-dry
• ferment to pH 4.6
• Aw .85 - .91 (shelf stable)
• proteolysis lipolysis
• resulting in peroxides

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Types of Fermented Meat Products (Contd)

• Dry Sausage
• unique flavors
• mild off flavors to strong rancidity
• less tangy
• pH rises during drying
• Cooking optional
• use certified pork, 3.3 salt
• unique texture w/out cooking

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USDA-FSIS Regulations

• Dry product to established moistureprotein
  (mp) ratios
• Pepperoni - 1.61
• Genoa Salami 2.11
• Dry Salami 1.91

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Chemical Acidulants

• Glucona delta lactone
• 0.5 (GDL)
• with moisture in product, produces lactic acid
• sometimes too rapid, soft product
• typical acrid flavor (Hickory Farms of Ohio)
• Citric acid sodium acid pyrophosphate

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