Acidification alternatives for elaborating “salchichon” (Spanish dry fermented sausage)

Abstract

The acidification technique is widely used in the meat industry to increase meat product security and quality. The most popular acidified and fermented meat product is salchichon. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of alternatives to lactic acid bacteria for elaborating salchichon. Three treatments were prepared to acidify the meat product: glucono delta lactone (GDL), apple cider (SID) and a commercial starter (BAL) as control. When the meat product reached a weight loss of 35%, physicochemical parameters, microbial groups and sensory analyses were evaluated. Results indicated that pH decreased most in GDL and SID resulted in greater weight loss, while GDL showed the lowest pH value at the end of the fermentation process. There were also statistical differences in cohesiveness and resilience. Moreover, there was no presence of Salmonella or Listeria monocytogenes in any of the treatments. The sensory analysis indicated that the treatment added with apple cider scored the highest for color, while both SID and BAL were the most accepted in terms of taste. It was concluded that apple cider and glucono delta lactone can be used for acidification during the elaboration of the salchichon, as pH levels decline quickly, thereby reducing the processing time without affecting the quality of the final product.