engleski

Quality and safety of traditional Croatian fermented meat products

Production of naturally fermented meat products has a long tradition in Croatia. Some of regionally/nationally promoted products are dry sausage kulen, Istarski pršut, Dalmatinski pršut, Drniški pršut and Krčki pršut. Study of complex microbiological and biochemical succession during the maturation of spontaneously fermented meat products is the baseline for standardization of products’ quality and safety under controlled conditions. Household production is usually accompanied with poor welfare procedures (pig slaughter), poor hygiene or technological variations. The possible biological/chemical hazards that may occur in traditionally fermented meat products are foodborne pathogens, opportunistic pathogens, biogenic amines, mycotoxins or antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Intrinsic bacterial strains with specific metabolic profiles are potential candidates for so called autochthonous starter cultures application. In other words, they should be capable to promote typical sensorial features of natural products under the controlled microclimatic conditions. Autochthonous starter cultures with favorable technological and safety characteristic are also a valuable tool in reducing potential microbiological hazards. In this lecture, characteristics of some typical Croatian meat products are presented, as well as our selected research results related to biological hazards in traditionally fermented sausages.

meat products; tradition; risk

Programski ugovor 2, Projekt "Antimikrobna rezistencija patogenih bakterija iz hrane životinjskog podrijetla". Sudjelovanje na skupu omogućilo je Sveučilište u Zagrebu, sredstvima za mobilnost istraživača, potpora KOnferencije.