Fermentation of Salami
Miles Griffiths
What is Salami?
Salami is a type of cured sausage consisting of fermented and air-dried meat, typically beef or pork.
How many different types of salami are there?
There are 6 types of salami, Geneo Salami, Soppressata, Pepperoni, Herbed or peppered salami, Nduja, Cotto salami
How is salami fermented?
Fermented sausages are cured sausages and to produce salami of a consistent quality one must strictly obey the rules of sausage making. This field of knowledge has been limited to just a few lucky ones but with today's meat science and starter cultures available to everybody, there is little reason to abstain from making quality salamis at home. It is unlikely that a home sausage maker will measure meat pH (acidity) or Aw (water activity) but he should control temperatures and humidity levels in his drying chamber.
Type of bacteria
Lactic acid, yeasts, molds and curing bacteria
How to make basic salami
Time required
3 hours to prepare, 1month to cure
Factors
Air humidity, time to ferment, temperature
Chemical changes in salami
Several chemical changes occur during the ripening of dry-fermented sausages that determine the flavor and odor of the end product. The phenomena that take place during fermentation, that is, both acidification of the sugars by lactic acid bacteria and reduction of nitrates and nitrites to nitric oxide by micrococci have been known for several years.
Effect of ph on salami
foods with a low ph value develop a resistance against microbial infection