Novel Applications of Lactic Acid and Acetic Acid Bacteria Preparations in Shaping the Technological and Microbiological Quality of Ready-to-Cook Minced Pork

Abstract

This study explored a novel application of bacterial preparations, derived from lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and acetic acid (AAB), to preserve ready-to-cook minced pork. Two LAB and AAB cell-free supernatant mixtures were evaluated as raw meat additives during nine refrigerated storage days. Both treatments effectively stabilized the meat’s pH (final values around 5.54) and oxidation reduction potential (final ORP values around 336–349 mV), while preserving color parameters (L*, a*, b*) without significant degradation. Lipid oxidation, measured by TBARS, was significantly reduced in treated samples (0.34–0.37 mg MDA/kg) compared to the control (0.43 mg MDA/kg) by day 9. Microbial counts were markedly lower: total viable counts in treated samples did not exceed 3.2 log CFU/g, whereas the count in the control reached 4.6 log CFU/g. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed that microbial growth was the dominant factor affecting quality deterioration, while lipid oxidation and color stability formed distinct quality axes. Functional principal component analysis (FPCA) showed that among treatments, the combination of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum O24 and Gluconobacter oxydans KNS32 (T2) demonstrated the most effective biopreservation, achieving the best microbiological and oxidative stability. This study introduces the novel, synergistic use of LAB and AAB preparations as a clean-label biopreservation strategy for addressing minced meat products.