Microbial quality and direct PCR identification of lactic acid bacteria and nonpathogenic Staphylococci from artisanal low-acid sausages.
Detection of six species of lactic acid bacteria and six species of gram-positive catalase-positive cocci from low-acid fermented sausages (fuets and chorizos) was assessed by species-specific PCR. Without enrichment, Lactobacillus sakei and Lactobacillus curvatus were detected in 11.8% of the samples, and Lactobacillus plantarum and Staphylococcus xylosus were detected in 17.6%. Enriched samples allowed the detection of L. sakei and S. xylosus in all of the samples (100%) and of Enterococcus faecium in 11.8% of the sausages. The percentages of L. curvatus, L. plantarum, Staphylococcus carnosus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis varied depending on the sausage type. L. curvatus was detected in 80% of fuets and in 57% of chorizos. L. plantarum was found in 50% of fuets and 100% of chorizos. S. epidermidis was detected in only 11.8% of fuets, and S. carnosus was detected in only 5.9% of chorizos. Lactococcus lactis, Staphylococcus warneri, and Staphylococcus simulans were not detected in any sausage type. From a microbiological point of view, 70.6% of the samples could be considered of high quality, as they had low counts of Enterobacteriaceae and did not contain any of the food-borne pathogens assayed.
Aymerich
T
T
Meat Technology Center, IRTA, Granja Camps i Armet, Monells, Girona, Spain. teresa.aymerich@irta.es
Martín
B
B
Garriga
M
M
Hugas
M
M
D001483:Base Sequence; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D013045:Species Specificity; D013210:Staphylococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification*