Microbial Quality and Direct PCR Identification of Lactic Acid Bacteria and Nonpathogenic Staphylococci from Artisanal Low-Acid Sausages

Abstract

Detection of six species of lactic acid bacteria and six species of gram-positive catalase-positive cocci from low-acid fermented sausages (fuets and chorizos) was assessed by species-specific PCR. Without enrichment,Lactobacillus sakei and Lactobacillus curvatus were detected in 11.8% of the samples, and Lactobacillus plantarum and Staphylococcus xylosus were detected in 17.6%. Enriched samples allowed the detection of L. sakei and S. xylosus in all of the samples (100%) and of Enterococcus faecium in 11.8% of the sausages. The percentages of L. curvatus,L. plantarum,Staphylococcus carnosus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis varied depending on the sausage type.L. curvatus was detected in 80% of fuets and in 57% of chorizos.L. plantarum was found in 50% of fuets and 100% of chorizos.S. epidermidis was detected in only 11.8% of fuets, and S. carnosus was detected in only 5.9% of chorizos.Lactococcus lactis,Staphylococcus warneri, and Staphylococcus simulans were not detected in any sausage type. From a microbiological point of view, 70.6% of the samples could be considered of high quality, as they had low counts of Enterobacteriaceae and did not contain any of the food-borne pathogens assayed.