title: Microbial ecology involved in the ripening of naturally fermented llama meat sausages. A focus on lactobacilli diversity.
abstract: Llama represents for the Andean regions a valid alternative to bovine and pork meat and thanks to the high proteins and low fat content; it can constitute a good product for the novel food market. In this study, culture-dependent and independent methods were applied to investigate the microbial ecology of naturally fermented llama sausages produced in Northwest Argentina. Two different production technologies of llama sausage were investigated: a pilot-plant scale (P) and an artisanal one (A). Results obtained by High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) of 16S rRNA amplicons showed that the production technologies influenced the development of microbial communities with a different composition throughout the entire fermentation process. Both sequencing and microbiological counts demonstrated that Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) contributed largely to the dominant microbiota. When a total of 230 isolates were approached by RAPD-PCR, presumptive LAB strains from P production exhibited an initial variability in RAPD fingerprints switching to a single profile at the final of ripening, while A production revealed a more heterogeneous RAPD pattern during the whole fermentation process. The constant presence of Lactobacillus sakei along the fermentation in both productions was revealed by HTS and confirmed by species-specific PCR from isolated strains. The technological characterization of Lb. sakei isolates evidenced their ability to grow at 15°C, pH4.5 and 5% NaCl (95%). Most strains hydrolyzed myofibrillar and sarcoplasmic proteins. Bacteriocins encoding genes and antimicrobial resistance were found in 35% and 42.5% of the strains, respectively. An appropriate choice of a combination of autochthonous strains in a starter formulation is fundamental to improve and standardize llama sausages safety and quality.
authors.affiliation: Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria INTA-EEA, Ruta Provincial 301 Km 32, Famaillá, Tucumán, Argentina. Electronic address: fontana.cecilia@inta.gob.ar.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Microbiologia, Centro Ricerche Biotecnologiche, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Milano 24, 26100 Cremona, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniela
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bassi
authors.affiliation: Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos (CERELA), CONICET, Chacabuco 145, Tucumán, Argentina.
authors.forename: Constanza
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: López
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Microbiologia, Centro Ricerche Biotecnologiche, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Milano 24, 26100 Cremona, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenza
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pisacane
authors.affiliation: Instituto Superior de Investigaciones Biológicas (INSIBIO), CONICET-UNT, Instituto de Biología "Dr. Francisco D. Barbieri", Facultad de Bioquímica, Química y Farmacia, UNT, Chacabuco 461, T4000ILI, San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
authors.forename: Maria Claudia
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Otero
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Microbiologia, Centro Ricerche Biotecnologiche, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Milano 24, 26100 Cremona, Italy.
authors.forename: Edoardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Puglisi
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Microbiologia, Centro Ricerche Biotecnologiche, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Milano 24, 26100 Cremona, Italy.
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rebecchi
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Microbiologia, Centro Ricerche Biotecnologiche, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Milano 24, 26100 Cremona, Italy.
authors.forename: Pier Sandro
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Cocconcelli
authors.affiliation: Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos (CERELA), CONICET, Chacabuco 145, Tucumán, Argentina.
authors.forename: Graciela
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Vignolo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001118:Argentina; D019149:Bioreactors; D002161:Camelids, New World; D005285:Fermentation; D005516:Food Microbiology; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D008461:Meat Products / Q000382:microbiology*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D013649:Taste
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S
keywords: Fermented sausages; High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS); Lactobacillus sakei; Llama meat; RAPD; Technological properties