Biotechnology - tapping new potentials in the meat industry with new starter cultures

The use of starter cultures for the production of fermented meat products is a well established process in the meat processing industry. It contributes significantly to a standardized production process, in particular regarding microbiological safety and sensory quality of the products.
 
Due to the increasing saturation of the market for starter cultures and the continuous development of new meat products, new cultures are subject to intense research all over the world. Compared to traditional cultures, new, so called functional starter cultures offer an additional functionality. This serves for optimizing the fermentation process and to make products with more appealing sensory properties that are safer and healthier.

The DIL with its research platform biotechnology is also active in this field. For example, the use of new Staphylococcus strains in fermented meat products can result in an improved sensory quality because of the specific metabolic pathways in aroma and flavor formation. Here the potential of the meat-inherent enzymatic activities are taken into consideration and combined with the activities of the new strains.
 
Process and product safety can also be enhanced by using bacteriocin forming strains. Such cultures are already commercially available but they have only a limited scope of application which shall be overcome by targeted research and development activities.
 
With the use of new strains in starter cultures, the potential of cultures to form biogenic amines can be significantly reduced so that new cultures arise which have a health-promoting functionality. Added to that, another research focus at DIL is the acceleration of the ripening of raw sausage which can be achieved by stress conditioning of starter cultures. Besides a fast acidification, the formation of aroma and flavor is in the focus.
 
Another research field is the development of so called protective cultures for meat products. Here strategies are pursued based on bacteriocin forming lactic acid bacteria for cooked ham or cooked sausages or, in case of raw ham, based on the displacement principle with Staphylococcus. This way risks caused by pathogens or toxigenic microorganisms can be significantly reduced.
 
The objective of the named research and development activities is the optimization of starter and protective cultures for the manufacture of meat products with the use of new bacterial strains. The DIL has intensely investigated the development of advanced genetic methods (PCR or DNA microarray technologies) for the rapid and comprehensive screening of, amongst others, undesired properties of fermentation organisms (e.g. Staphylococcus) and is also highly competent in the field of safety evaluation of organisms in meat cultures.

Contact partner at DIL is:

Dr. Christian Hertel
Manager Research Platform Biotechnology

Phone +49 (0)54 31.183 – 149
Fax: +49 (0)54 31.183 - 114
E-mail c.hertel@dil-ev.de