THE MICROBIOLOGICAL ECOSYSTEM OF TRADITIONAL FERMENTED SAUSAGES IN SERBIA – POSSIBILITY TO CREATE OUR OWN STARTER CULTURES

Abstract

Today in Serbia, according to the existing world trends, a growing number of meat industries are implementing in the production active starter cultures. Bearing in mind that in Serbia there is no commercial production of such cultures, the domestic industry is obliged to purchase such cultures from foreign manufacturers. Such cultures, are as a rule adapted for the needs of other markets and usually do not result in products which have traditional sensory characteristics which are acceptable to our customers. The Project “Technological and protective features of autochthonous bacterial strains isolated from traditional fermented sausages and possibilities for their application in the meat industry” is financed by the Serbian Ministry of Science and Technology and has the aim to study the diversity of a number of bacteria such as: Lactobacillus, Micrococcus, staphylococcus and Streptococcus which carry out the fermentation in narrow diameter sausages “Levacka”, “Sremska” and “Uzicka” from three different regions
in Serbia , as well as to determine the possibility of their use within industrial conditions of production.

Adequate selection and choice of bacterial strains, after their detailed morphological, biochemical, molecular and genetical, as well as potential technological, protective and probiotic features characterization would make the presumptions needed for a qualitative step forward in the production of our own starter cultures. With their regular use specific national products with distinctive  sensory features to which our population is accustomed and with improved quality parameters would be obtained. By realizing the scope the rationale for the use of autochthonous strains of LAB in the production of fermented sausages their authenticity will be preserved, uniform quality can be obtained, production mistakes avoided, the fermentation and maturation time shortened and at the same time the typical sensory features preserved and/or improved.