Effect of lactic acid bacteria ferment cultures on pork freshness.

During the primary pork processing at the stage of cooling half-carcasses, their mass is lost, leading to economic losses. One promising way to solve this problem is to wash half-carcasses with chilled water. This requires decontaminating meat with microflora, which causes its spoilage. The purpose of the study is to determine the effectiveness of the final treatment of pork half-carcasses with ferment cultures of SafePro® B-SF-443 (Leuconostoc carnosum) and SafePro® B-2 (Lactobacillus sakei) strains for their bioconservation and preservation of freshness. The paper uses organoleptic, chemical, and microbiological research methods. It was established that cooling half-carcasses of pork in the refrigerator using cold water washing contributes to the appearance of signs of meat spoilage in terms of microbial contamination and pH value already on the 4th day of storage. Surface treatment of half-carcasses with suspensions of lactic acid microorganisms of SafePro® B-SF-43 (Leuconostoc carnosum) and SafePro® B-2 (Lactobacillus sakei) strains at a dose of 107/cm² provides proper organoleptic parameters and the pH value of pork up to 7 days of storage, which correspond to high-quality meat. Both ferment cultures of lactic acid microorganisms reduce microbial contamination of meat due to the number of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms in paired carcasses by 1.25 and 0.65 lg CFU/cm² and increase the number of lactic acid microorganisms by 3.47 and 3.43 lg CFU/cm² accordingly, this allows extending the shelf life of meat in the chilled form to at least 7 days. The most suitable culture for the final processing of half-carcasses of pork, which are cooled in the refrigerator in combination with washing with chilled water, is the SafePro® B-2 (Lactobacillus sakei) strain. The results obtained are promising for improving the technology of primary pork processing at the cooling stage using ferment cultures of lactic acid microorganisms as natural preservatives, which will increase the shelf life of meat, considering its quality and safety [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]