Meat starters have individual requirements for Mn(2+)

The effect of different Mn(2+) concentrations on sausage fermentation was evaluated. A screening experiment was carried out with six lactobacilli starters in a sausage model. To further investigate the effects found, two selected lactobacilli strains were tested in pilot-scale sausage production. For all starters an increased fermentation rate was observed after Mn(2+) addition. Differences in the development of microbial, textural and sensory parameters were observed in the sausages. For one of the cultures these differences levelled out during sausage production yielding identical end products with and without Mn(2+), for the other strain the differences due to Mn(2+) addition in the sausages remained throughout the production process yielding sausages with different properties. Knowing a starter culture's requirements for Mn(2+) will allow optimisation of dry fermented sausage production in order to increase reliability and reproducibility of production decrease fermentation time and ensure microbial safety of the final product.