Selection and application of autochthonous functional starter cultures in traditional Croatian fermented sausages

Microbiota of the traditional fermented sausages is a reach source of potential starter cultures for artisan or industrial applications. Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and coagulase-negative cocci (CNC) are the main microbial groups involved in the meat fermentation and routinely implemented in sausage production as starters, in order to upgrade product’s safety and quality. The strain selection is based on technological and safety properties which should be tested by phenotypic and genotypic methods. Further characterization by proteomic approaches could give us an additional knowledge on metabolic activity of the culture under specific conditions and enable the optimization of the fermentation process. Although dry fermented sausages are microbiologically stabile products, some specific hazards could occur. Due to the spreading of antimicrobial resistance, a risk potential of commensal bacteria such as LAB and CNC is still questionable. Thus competitive and protective functional starter cultures contribute to the reduction or elimination of microbiological and toxicological risks.