Microbial and physico-chemical changes during the ripening of dry fermented sausages superficially inoculated with or having added an intracellular cell-free extract of Penicillium aurantiogriseum.

The effect of inoculation of the "salchichón" (dry fermented sausage) surface with an atoxygenic, proteolytic and lipolytic strain of Penicillium aurantiogriseum and/or the addition of an intracellular cell-free-extract (ICFE) of the same mould on the ripening process was studied. Four batches of salchichón were manufactured: control, superficially inoculated, added with the intracellular cell free extract and combination of both treatments. Superficial mould modified Micrococcaceae counts, pH, free amino acids, lipid fractions, TBARS and some organic acids. The ICFE degraded free amino acids, producing a rise in ammonia. Both treatments combined accelerate the proteolysis and lipolysis of the sausages and also the further amino acid degradation.