MICROBIOLOGY SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF BRINE AFTER WET SALTING OF MEAT

Abstract

The aim of the study was to determine the microbial safety of brine and the effect of bacterial starter culture containing CNS strains of Staphylococcus carnosus and Staphylococcus xylosus (Indasia, Germany) on the microbiological quality of the brine during wet salting of the meat. In the first experiment was determined the microbial safety of brine with different concentrations of curing salt and with addition of bay leaf, whole black pepper; whole juniper and whole new pepper water extracts. In the second experiment were prepared brine samples with 9.5% of curing salt, brine samples with the same concentration of curing salt but with the addition of a starter culture and brines with the concentration 7.5% of curing salt, starter culture and spices water extracts same as in previous experiment. The commercial starter culture contains strains of Staphylococcus carnosus and Staphylococcus xylosus (CNS) was added in amount of 0.2g. Safety assessment of the brine was established according to results of pH value, salinity, color and count of coliform bacteria, psychrotrophic bacteria, Lactobacillus sp. and Streptococcus sp. The results show that the very presence of 9.5% salt and nitrite does not prevent the decline of microorganisms in brine samples used for salting meat. Protective culture helped reduce the number of unwanted microorganisms and promoted lactobacilli. However, the demonstrably higher antibacterial effect of the protective culture, determined on the basis of the number of psychotropic microorganisms, was found to be combined with the spice extract.