Investigation of the microbial ecology of Ciauscolo, a traditional Italian salami, by culture-dependent techniques and PCR-DGGE

• Published in: Meat science Vol. 77; no. 3; pp. 413 - 423
• Main Authors: Silvestri, Gloria, Santarelli, Sara, Aquilanti, Lucia, Beccaceci, Alessandra, Osimani, Andrea, Tonucci, Franco, Clementi, Francesca
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-11-2007; Elsevier
• Subjects: bacterial proteins; Biological and medical sciences; Ciauscolo; Coagulase negative cocci; coagulase negative staphylococci; Debaryomyces hansenii; DNA; fermented foods; Food industries; Food microbiology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; fungal proteins; good manufacturing practices; Lactic acid bacteria; Lactobacillus curvatus; Lactobacillus sakei; Meat and meat product industries; microbial ecology; microbial load; molecular sequence data; PCR-DGGE; polymerase chain reaction; pulsed-field gel electrophoresis; salami; sequence analysis; traditional foods; viability; Yeasts; PCR-DGGE; Yeasts; Lactic acid bacteria; Coagulase negative cocci; Ciauscolo; Yeast; Salami; Pork product; Meat product
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2007.04.015

The microbial ecology of 22 samples of commercially available Ciauscolo salami were investigated using a polyphasic approach, based on culture-dependent and -independent techniques. The viable counts of pathogen and hygiene indicator microorganisms highlighted the adequate application of good manufacturing practices, while the viable counts of the lactic acid bacteria, coagulase negative cocci, and yeasts showed dominance of the first of these microbial groups. Bacterial and fungal DNA were extracted directly from the salami and amplified by PCR, using two primer sets targeting the 16S and 28S rRNA genes, respectively. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and sequencing of selected bands were used to investigate the microbial ecology of these Ciauscolo salami. The most frequently found bacterial species were
Lactobacillus sakei and
Lb. curvatus, while
Debaryomyces hansenii was the prevalent yeast species detected. Cluster analysis of the DGGE profiles and calculation of biodiversity indices allowed the degree of microbial similarity across these salami to be determined.