PROMISING STARTING CULTURES FOR CRAFT SAUSAGES

Abstract

The article presents the problem of improving the quality of cured meat products through the use of starter crops. In the technology of meat products, there is a tendency to use plant food additives in combination with starter crops to improve the quality of finished products. An important property is antagonism – the suppression of the growth of microorganisms that cause spoilage of the product. Denitrifying bacteria must be present in starters to reproduce the color of meat products. The main technological properties of starting crops include the fermentation of carbohydrates with the formation of lactic acid, reducing the ripening time, increasing the yield of the finished product and extending the shelf life. The addition of propionic bacteria significantly improves the structural and mechanical properties of the product, reduces losses during heat treatment, increases the moisture-binding capacity, which has a positive effect on the quality of the finished product. Lactic acid bacteria are the biological basis for the formation of sausage as a food product, namely the implementation of biological transformations of the main components of meat with the formation of compounds that determine the taste and aroma, consistency; change of physicochemical parameters of minced meat in the direction unfavorable for the development of microbes that can cause spoilage of meat. The use of starter crops in the production of meat products not only reduces the time of the technological process, but also allows to ensure the microbiological safety of finished products. Thus, bacterial starters are the most important factor in shaping the quality of meat products. Properly selected cultures in sourdough contribute not only to the formation of a pleasant taste and aroma of the product, color stabilization, but also suppression of putrefactive and sanitary – indicative bacteria. In addition, it was found that some microorganisms have proteolytic activity, intracellular enzymes that are able to break down meat proteins, thereby improving the structural characteristics of the finished product. And some starter cultures can act as antioxidants, preventing the oxidation of fat in sausages.