Effects of sodium lactate and other additives in a cooked ham product on sensory quality and development of a strain of Lactobacillus curvatus and Listeria monocytogenes.
Cooked cured ham products were produced according to a standard recipe for cooked ham with various levels of sodium lactate, sodium diacetate or buffered sodium citrate. They were compared with a reference ham product with respect to sensory quality and growth of Lactobacillus curvatus and Listeria monocytogenes. For this, a part of the products was sensory analysed directly after preparation. Another part of the cooked ham products was minced and homogeneously inoculated with L. curvatus (10(4)/g) and L. monocytogenes (10(2)/g) and filled in 60-g plastic pouches. After vacuum packaging, the pouches were stored at 4 degrees C for up to 40 days. Between the different ham compositions, only minor differences were found for appearance, internal colour, structure and firmness. The addition of 0.2% Na-diacetate had a negative effect on the odour and taste of the ham product. The addition of 2.5% to 3.3% Na-lactate inhibited the growth of L. curvatus compared to the reference, while 0.1% and 0.2% Na-diacetate did not. L. monocytogenes was best inhibited by the addition of Na-lactate but also by the addition of 0.2% Na-diacetate. On the other hand, the growth of L. monocytogenes was stimulated by the addition of 1% buffered Na-citrate.
Stekelenburg
F K
FK
Department Microbiology and Quality Management, TNO Voeding, Zeist, The Netherlands.
Kant-Muermans
M L
ML
D000818:Animals; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D005511:Food Handling; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005519:Food Preservation / Q000379:methods*; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D008089:Listeria monocytogenes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology*; D019354:Sodium Lactate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013649:Taste; D014618:Vacuum
D019354:Sodium Lactate