A newly isolated strain Pediococcus parvulus from Xuanwei ham, a traditional Chinese fermented meat product

A comparative study on technological suitability for fermented dry sausages of Pediococcus parvulus, a newly isolated strain from Xuanwei ham, a traditional Chinese fermented meat product, was carried out. One type of fermented dry sausage was produced with P. parvulus and the other without starter culture, using the same formulation and technological conditions. Thus, the evolutions of microbiological and physicochemical parameters during ripening, as well as colour, texture and sensory quality of end products, were measured and assessed. The results indicated that P. parvulus had an inhibitory effect on non-lactic acid bacteria, especially Enterobacteriaceae. It was thought that the use of P. parvulus could enhance the hygienic quality of fermented sausages, which could mainly be attributed to its acidification of fermented sausages. Differences in colour parameters, with higher value in lightness (L*) and lower in redness (a*), were also found (P < 0.05). The most significant differences were observed in texture, informing the influence of P. parvulus on texture profile analysis characteristics of fermented sausages (P < 0.05). However, the evolutions of total nitrogen, fat and ash were the same. That meant the starter had no effects on these parameters during ripening of sausages. Free amino acid analysis showed that P. parvulus might have some proteolytic activity and more intense odour detected by our sensory judges. Our panelists also gave a higher score to the sausage with starter in terms of overall acceptability, indicating their preference of this product to the control. For all these results, we concluded that the newly isolated strain P. parvulus was a good starter for the production of fermented sausages.