Amino acid profile and sensory characteristics of dry fermented pork loins produced with a mixture of probiotic starter cultures

Abstract BACKGROUND Proteolysis is a biochemical process in dry‐aged meat products where proteins are metabolized and broken down to polypeptides, peptides, and free amino acids. In the literature it is reported that an appropriate choice of probiotic starter culture limits proteolytic changes in dry‐fermented meat products. In this study the combined effect of a mixture of probiotic starter cultures on the free amino acid profile, total count of lactic acid bacteria, and the sensory quality of dry‐aged pork loins after fermentation and after storing the vacuum‐packed samples was evaluated. RESULTS LOCK900 and BB12 probiotic strains were the technologically best two‐species mixture of starter cultures for the production of probiotic dry‐aged pork loins. They allowed us to obtain products with high and stable bacterial count and acceptable sensory quality, both after 21 days of fermentation and after 2 months of cold storage. Changes in the free amino acid profile and increased intensity of the selected sensory attributes result from a significant share of probiotics in meat proteolysis occurring during fermentation and storage. CONCLUSION The results suggest the relevance of using probiotic bacteria as a two‐species starter culture for the production of dry‐aged products. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry