Physico-chemical and microbiological characterisation of Italian fermented sausages in relation to their size

Background: The aim of this work was to study the physico-chemical and microbiological parameters of 10 Italian fermented sausages, produced industrially, in order to highlight the differences in relation to their size. The sausages were classified as small, medium and large and the data concerning every feature considered were analysed with some statistical explorative tools: ANOVA, principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA).

Results: Significant differences in relation to the sausage size were found regarding microbial populations (in particular, enterobacteria and staphylococci). The pH was higher in the small sausages, and consequently the presence of lactate and acetate was higher in the bigger one. Also the biogenic amine content (particularly tyramine, cadaverine and putrescine) was influenced by the size.

Conclusions: In spite of the extreme variability of the sausage types at the end of ripening, this work showed that it was possible to find a strict relationship between sausages diameter and some essential physico-chemical parameters. Thus, the cross-sectional size of the product is an essential parameter, which can drive the biochemical processes during ripening, not only by affecting the kinetics of water losses, but also by influencing the microbiota enzymatic activity. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.