title: Improvement of the quality and abatement of the biogenic amines of grass carp muscles by fermentation using mixed cultures.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To improve the quality of processed grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus) products and control the accumulation of hazardous substances therein, minced grass carp slices were salted for 6 h at room temperature and then inoculated with mixed starter cultures of Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus lactis, Saccharomyces cerevisiae Hansen and Monascus anka and fermented for 12 h at 30 degrees C. The changes in some characteristics and biogenic amine contents of the fermented muscles were investigated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the 12 h fermentation at 30 degrees C, muscles inoculated with mixed starter cultures showed a rapid decrease in pH from 6.0 to 5.1 and suppression of the growth of enterobacteria and pseudomonads. The fermented muscles exhibited better colour, appearance, flavour and overall acceptability than the control (P < 0.05). The changes in non-protein nitrogen and free amino acid contents of the fermented muscles and in their sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis profiles indicated that severe hydrolysis of muscle proteins occurred during fermentation. The accumulation of biogenic amines in the muscles was efficiently reduced by fermentation with mixed starter cultures.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Fermentation with mixed starter cultures of L. casei, S. lactis, S. cerevisiae Hansen and M. anka significantly improved the characteristics of grass carp muscles and controlled the accumulation of biogenic amines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Food and Biological Technology, Xiangtan University, Xiangtan, Hunan 411105, China. lzyly@xtu.edu.cn
authors.forename: Zhong-Yi
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhong-Hai
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Peng-Peng
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Zhong
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Mu-Qing
authors.initials: MQ
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.forename: Chi-Fang
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000596:Amino Acids / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D001679:Biogenic Amines / Q000378:metabolism*; D002347:Carps / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D003116:Color; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005285:Fermentation; D005396:Fish Products / Q000382:microbiology / Q000592:standards; D029941:Fish Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D005516:Food Microbiology; D005519:Food Preservation; D006801:Humans; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006868:Hydrolysis; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000378:metabolism; D013649:Taste
chemical_list: D000596:Amino Acids; D001679:Biogenic Amines; D029941:Fish Proteins; D009584:Nitrogen