R. Maijala et al., THE INFLUENCE OF SOME STARTER CULTURES AND GDL ON THE FORMATION OF BIOGENIC-AMINES IN DRY SAUSAGES, Agricultural science in Finland, 2(5), 1993, pp. 403-412
The influence of five common starter cultures and glucono-delta-lacton
e (GDL) on the formation of histamine, tyramine, putrescine. cadaverin
e, spermine and spermidine in dry sausages was studied. Sausages were
manufactured in a pilot plant from two different batches of raw materi
al. No major differences were observed between the starter cultures st
udied in the biogenic amine levels detected during, ripening. The lowe
st levels of histamine were detected in sausages fermented by GDL and
Staphylococcae with or without lactic acid bacteria as a starter cultu
re. In pure culture studies performed with a turbidometric method in M
RS broth, non-starter lactic acid bacteria isolated from sausages were
found to be more sensitive to acidic conditions than the starter stra
ins used in the study. The addition of 2% histidine to MRS broth resul
ted in a tremendous increase in histamine production (from 1-2 to 6000
ppm). However, in histidine-fortified MRS broth with GDL addition, on
ly 54 ppm of histamine was formed. According to these results, the pH
decrease caused by GDL addition decreases histamine formation in dry s
ausages and in MRS broth. The differences in pH decrease may be one re
ason for the very varying concentrations of histamine detected in reta
il dry sausages.