Biochemical and Sensory Characteristics of Whole Carp Inoculated With Autochthonous Starter Cultures.

In this study,Lactobacillus plantarum 120, Lactobacillus plantarum 145,andPediococcus pentosaceus 220, which exhibit optimal properties among those isolated from the traditional fermented fish products, were selected as the starter cultures for the preparation of fermented whole carp. During the fermentation, samples inoculated with different single starter cultures showed rapid growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), decline in pH, suppression in the growth of main microflora, as well as increase of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values and total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N). Quantities of nonprotein nitrogen (NPN) and free amino acids (FAA) were higher in whole carp with starter cultures compared to those in the control. Severe hydrolysis of protein was observed utilizing sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis during fermentation. Moreover, sensory evaluation indicated the higher acceptability of fermented products. The results show that inoculation with the autochthonous starter cultures reduced fermentation time and improved the quality of samples. Therefore, isolates of the strains could be used as potential starters for the fermentation of whole carp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]