title: Moulds isolated from Istrian dried ham at the pre-ripening and ripening level.
abstract: The aim of this study is to define the mould strains growing on the surface during the pre-ripening and the ripening phases of Istrian ham, and their toxic potential. The mould microflora was predominantly represented by five genera, which were isolated on the ham surfaces of three different producers investigated. The identified species were similar in the both tested periods, demonstrating that the contamination came mainly from the air and the ripening chambers (seasoning rooms), rather than the raw meat. Eurotium spp., Aspergillus spp. and Penicillium spp. were the main strains isolated. The presence and growth of the different strains depended on the temperature of ripening and the relative humidity in the ripening chambers, since the hams were home made products and not matured in controlled conditions. The toxic potential of isolated strains was also investigated. None of the tested moulds can produce mycotoxins and for this reason the Istrian hams do not represent a health hazard.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze degli Alimenti, Facoltà di Agraria, Università degli Studi di Udine, Via Marangoni, 97, 33100 Udine, Italy. giuseppe.comi@dsa.uniud.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Comi
authors.forename: Sandi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Orlic
authors.forename: Sulejman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Redzepovic
authors.forename: Rosalinda
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Urso
authors.forename: Lucilla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Iacumin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001230:Aspergillus / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D003257:Consumer Product Safety; D017523:Croatia; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D005511:Food Handling; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005519:Food Preservation; D006813:Humidity; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology*; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010407:Penicillium / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000472:pathogenicity; D013552:Swine; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D009183:Mycotoxins