Effect of starter culture and storage temperature on the content of biogenic amines in dry fermented sausage poličan.

Water activity, pH, microbial counts (total counts/TCM/, coliforms, Enterobacter, Proteus, Pseudomonas, Escherichia and Lactobacillus spp., respectively), and seven biogenic amines (BA) were determined in dry fermented sausage 'poličan' produced using starter culture A (Lactobacillus sakei, Staphylococcus carnosus, S. xylosus) or B (L. sakei, S. carnosus, Pediococcus pentosaceus), ripened 42 days, and subsequently stored at 8 or 22°C 60 days. Counts of lactobacilli were higher and TCM lower in the A-sausage when ripening was finished. Tyramine (quantitatively most important BA) content was not different (P>0.05) in A- (90 mg/kg of dry matter, DM) or B-sausage (91 mg/kg DM) at the end of ripening. The effect of the storage temperature on BA content was not significant (P>0.05) in the case of either tyramine or any other tested BA. The increase of total BA content during ripening was not different (P>0.05) between A- and B-sausages (final value 190 and 222 mg/kg DM, respectively). However, sum of BA was significantly higher (P<0.05) in B-sausage as compared with A-sausage at the end of either refrigerated storage (304 and 236 mg/kg DM) or room temperature storage (468 and 206 mg/kg DM, respectively). It is concluded that legislative limits should be established for tyramine and total BA content in dry fermented meat products.