Impact of axenic and mixed starter cultures on metabolomic and sensory profiles of ripened Italian salami

In this work, the synergistic/antagonistic impact of glucose and mixed starter cultures, namely Latilactobacillus sakei, Pediococcus pentosaceus, and Staphylococcus xylosus, was evaluated in Italian salami in terms of metab-olomics and sensory profiles. As expected, Salami manufactured with 0.5 % glucose exhibited a substantial pH drop, showing values close to 5 at 12 days of ripening. Metabolomics revealed 1841 metabolites, mainly belonging to amino acids, peptides, glycerolipids, and nucleic acids, showing a greater hierarchical role of glucose addition when compared with inoculated microbial starters. Distinct metabolomic fingerprints could be observed across treatments, mainly concerning glutamyl peptides like gamma-glutamyl-glutamate (related to the kokumi taste), biogenic amines (spermine), and lipid oxidation products (i.e., the oxylipin 13S-hydroperoxylino-lenic acid). Such differences may drive the differences in sensory profiles recorded among treatments. These findings indicate the need to select ad-hoc starter cultures to improve the safety, quality, and sensory traits of salami.

Automated summary

This study evaluated the impact of glucose and mixed starter cultures on the quality of Italian salami. The addition of glucose had a significant effect on the metabolites and sensory profiles of the salami.