Proteolytic effect of starter culture during ripening of smoked horse sausage

In this study, we assessed the effect of bacterial and endogenous enzymes on the proteolysis of smoked horse sausage. Commercial starter culture (Staphylococcus xylosus + Lactobacillus sakei) was used in smoked horse sausage. Cathepsin B + L and cathepsin B activities, microbiological growth, pH, and water activity (a(w)) were measured. Based on PCR-DGGE fingerprint analyses, the starter culture inhibited endogenous bacterial growth. During ripening, the residual activity of cathepsin B + L and cathepsin B was higher in batch C (control) than in batch S (containing starter cultures). The starter and endogenous enzymes promote the degradation of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins; however, the degradation of these proteins was higher in batch S than in batch C. Therefore, bacterial enzymes played a major role in the degradation of proteins during the ripening of smoked horse sausage.