An indigenous bacterial consortium from Argentinean traditional dry sausages as a pilot-scale fermentation starter

In this work, a fermentation starter involving autochthonous strains obtained from an artisanal dry sausage from Colonia Caroya (Cordoba, Argentina) was formulated, with the aim of preserving the typicity that characterizes this artisanal meat product. Isolates of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and coagulase-negative-cocci (CNC) were obtained, identified and typified using 16S rRNA gene sequences and RAPD-PCR reactions. Some technological and safety-related properties were also studied: 1-resistance to low pH and high salt concentration, 2-proteolytic and lipolytic activities, 3-antibiotic resistance against tetracycline, kanamycin, vancomycin and ampicillin, and 4-absence of histidine decarboxylase (hdc) gene. A bacterial consortium of one LAB (Latilactobacillus sakei UNQLs16) and five CNC selected strains with the best features was used to formulate a meat fermentation starter (UNQ-MFS), which was compared with a commercial one (C-MFS), in a pilot-scale sausage production. Certain technological parameters (pH and weight reduction, microbial counts, and final texture profiles) were assessed in both batches to ensure the appropriate development of the process. The strains implantation was followed using RAPD-PCR: L. sakei UNQLs16 showed dominance throughout the process and its implantation was confirmed in the batch inoculated with UNQ-MFS, whereas isolates obtained from the C-MFS were not detected in the batch inoculated with this commercial starter. The fermentative starter design with native strains is not only relevant for the regional producers, but also to expand the knowledge and increase the number and diversity of available strains capable of leading the fermentative processes, contributing to safety and quality of foodstuffs.