Phenotypic diversity of lactic acid bacteria isolated from fermented sausages produced in Basilicata (Southern Italy)

E. PARENTE, S. GRIECO AND M.A. CRUDELE. 2001. Aims: to evaluate the evolution of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) populations in traditional fermented sausages (salsiccia and soppressata) produced in artisanal and industrial plants in Basilicata (Southern Italy). Methods and Results: Four hundred and fourteen lactic acid bacteria (LAB) cultures were isolated from samples of sausages at different stages of ripening. A phenotypic characterization of the isolates was carried out using a set of 28 tests, and 34 clusters were identified at the 80% similarity level using hierarchical cluster analysis. Of the isolates 50% were identified as Lactobacillus sakei (with several biotypes), 22% as Pediococcus spp. (mainly Ped. pentosaceus), 7% as Leuconostoc (Leuc. carnosum, Leuc. gelidum, Leuc. pseudomesenteroides), 6% as Lact. plantarum, 1% as Lact. curvatus. Other lactobacilli, including unidentified species, were present in lower numbers. Conclusions: The phenotypic diversity and composition of the LAB flora varied as a function of the production plant, product type and ripening time. Significance and Impact of the Study: A new procedure based on bootstrapping and Multidimensional Scaling was successfully used to obtain a graphical representation of the evolution of the LAB populations.