Effects of indigenous starter cultures on the microbial and physicochemical characteristics of Urutan, a Balinese fermented sausage

Urutan is a Balinese traditional dry fermented sausage prepared from lean pork and various kinds of spice. Urutan is different from the European sausages, because it is fermented under warm condition with fluctuating temperatures of approximately 25 degrees C at night to 50 degrees C during sun drying. In this study, two of the 71 strains of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from natural urutan fermentation were used as starter cultures: Lactobacillus plantarum U201, the dominant LAB, and Pediococcus acidilactici U318, a bacteriocin producer. A soft urutan with yellowish brown color was produced using these strains as multiple starters. The starter cultures grew in characteristic succession which reconstructed the natural fermentation process. Lactobacilli were dominant until 48 h fermentation and pediococci dominated at the later stage of fermentation. Proliferation of starter cultures produced lactic acid which resulted in the decrease in pH and coagulation of soluble protein in urutan. Both strains could eliminate the Enterobacteriaceae in urutan after 24 h fermentation, and could suppress and eliminate the occurrence of micrococci at 120 h fermentation. By using a single starter culture, no succession was observed to occur in urutan and the time of elimination of Enterobacteriaceae was delayed. Thus, the strains of L. plantarum U201 and P. acidilactici U318 have great potential for use as multiple starter cultures in urutan fermentation.