title: Physico-chemical and microbiological characterisation of Italian fermented sausages in relation to their size.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this work was to study the physico-chemical and microbiological parameters of 10 Italian fermented sausages, produced industrially, in order to highlight the differences in relation to their size. The sausages were classified as small, medium and large and the data concerning every feature considered were analysed with some statistical explorative tools: ANOVA, principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences in relation to the sausage size were found regarding microbial populations (in particular, enterobacteria and staphylococci). The pH was higher in the small sausages, and consequently the presence of lactate and acetate was higher in the bigger one. Also the biogenic amine content (particularly tyramine, cadaverine and putrescine) was influenced by the size.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In spite of the extreme variability of the sausage types at the end of ripening, this work showed that it was possible to find a strict relationship between sausages diameter and some essential physico-chemical parameters. Thus, the cross-sectional size of the product is an essential parameter, which can drive the biochemical processes during ripening, not only by affecting the kinetics of water losses, but also by influencing the microbiota enzymatic activity. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Industriale Agroalimentare, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Sede di Cesena, Piazza Goidanich 60, 47521 Cesena, (FC), Italy.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tabanelli
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-alimentari, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Sede di Cesena, Piazza Goidanich 60, 47521 Cesena, (FC), Italy.
authors.forename: Eleonora
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bargossi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze statistiche "Paolo Fortunati", Via delle Belle Arti 41, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
authors.forename: Aldo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gardini
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Industriale Agroalimentare, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Sede di Cesena, Piazza Goidanich 60, 47521 Cesena, (FC), Italy.|Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-alimentari, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Sede di Cesena, Piazza Goidanich 60, 47521 Cesena, (FC), Italy.
authors.forename: Rosalba
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lanciotti
authors.affiliation: C.l.a.i. Soc. Coop., Via Gambellara, 62, 40026 Imola, (BO), Italy.
authors.forename: Rudy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Magnani
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Industriale Agroalimentare, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Sede di Cesena, Piazza Goidanich 60, 47521 Cesena, (FC), Italy.|Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Agro-alimentari, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Sede di Cesena, Piazza Goidanich 60, 47521 Cesena, (FC), Italy.
authors.forename: Fausto
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gardini
authors.affiliation: Centro Interdipartimentale di Ricerca Industriale Agroalimentare, Università degli Studi di Bologna, Sede di Cesena, Piazza Goidanich 60, 47521 Cesena, (FC), Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Montanari
mesh_terms: D005285:Fermentation; D005504:Food Analysis; D005516:Food Microbiology; D007558:Italy; D008461:Meat Products / Q000032:analysis* / Q000382:microbiology*; D025341:Principal Component Analysis
keywords: biogenic amines; fermented meat; linear discriminant analysis (LDA); principal component analysis (PCA); sausage diameter