[Proteolytic activity of the microflora of meat]

Naturally occurring microflora and its proteolytic activity were studied in a water extract from raw untreated pork under various storing conditions. The dynamic was also followed up of th proteolytic activity in Enterobacteriaceae cultures isolated from the extract in succession during the period of storage at room and refrigerator temperature. It was found that the meat contained a good diversity of organisms of various potential capacity of producing proteolytic exoenzymes that changed dynamically at different intervals according to the period of staying for different time in different conditions within the meat extract. The activity of proteases as directly determined in the extract rose considerably in the process of storing at room temperature, while at refrigerator temperature it was but rarely determined within the range of sensitivity of the method employed. Stated is the importance of the microflora for the deterioration of meat as the organisms were the basic source of the respective enzymes along with the rate of the enzyme production associated with the natural microbial content of meat and the inductive nature of the bacterial exoproteases.