Microbial community changes induced by Pediococcus pentosaceus improve the physicochemical properties and safety in fermented tilapia sausage.

Abstract Amine-negative lactic acid bacteria can prevent excess biogenic amines from accumulating in sausage. In this study, the amine-negative Pediococcus pentosaceus 30-7 and 30-15 with good fermentation properties and biogenic amine removal ability were isolated for tilapia sausage production. P. pentosaceus 30-7 improved the physical characteristics such as gel strength and hardness in tilapia sausage, while P. pentosaceus 30-15 significantly enhanced the contents of umami and sweet free amino acids. The microbial metabolic network revealed that the dominant microbial community in the fermentation process including Pediococcus and Lactococcus contributed to the physicochemical formation of sausage. The significant decrease of biogenic amine contents after addition of P. pentosaceus strains mainly resulted from their ability to remove biogenic amines and to inhibit the growth of amine-producing Enterobacter, Citrobacter, and Streptococcus. This study provides an effective method for directionally improving the physicochemical properties and safety in fermented tilapia sausage.