AMINO-ACID DECARBOXYLASE CAPABILITY OF MICROORGANISMS ISOLATED IN SPANISH FERMENTED MEAT-PRODUCTS

Enterobacteria, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and Gram-positive cocci wer e isolated from Spanish meat products. The most frequent species in th e meat products studied were identified as Lactobacillus sake, Lactoba cillus plantarum and Lactobacillus curvatus from De Man-Rogosa-Sharpe agar; Staphylococcus xylosus, Staphylococcus saprophyticus and Microco ccus varians from mannitol salt phenol-red agar; and Hafnia alvei, Esc herichia coli, Pseudomonas fluorescens, Enterobacter amnigenes and Ent erobacter aerogenes from violet red bile dextrose agar. The amino acid decarboxylase activity of the microorganisms isolated was assayed. En terobacteria had higher amino acid decarboxylase activity than the oth er groups. LAB did not show any significant amino acid decarboxylase c apability in this study. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.