Microflora and physico-chemical parameters of the quality of kulen

Abstract

The paper presents the investigations of main physical, chemical and bacteriological characteristics of kulen, a home-made fermented dry sausage produced in a traditional and industrial way. pH-values of both the "traditional" and "industrial" kulen are low and are not characteristical for that type of product, while water content in "traditional" kulen is increased, what indicates that the products are not ripened enough, and that in production of kulen glucono-delta-lactone is used. "Traditional" kulen contains more protein and kitchen salt, and less fat than the "industrial" one, whereas the proportion of connective tissue protein content in meat proteins of both types of kulen is relatively low. Bacterial flora of kulen is dominated by lactobacilli and enterococci, and weak activity of other bacterial species important for kulen ripening is conditioned by low pH-values.

U radu su prikazani rezultati ispitivanja važnijih fizičkih, hemijskih i bakterioloških karakteristika kulena, domaće fermentisane suve kobasice koji se proizvodi na tradicionalan i industrijski način. Vrednosti pH "tradicionalnog" i "industrijskog" kulena su niske i nisu svojstvene za vrstu proizvoda, a sadržaj vode u "tradicionalnom" kulenu je povećan, što pokazuje da proizvodi nisu dovoljno sazreli, kao i da se u proizvodnji kulena koristi glukono-delta-lakton. "Tradicionalni" kulen sadrži više proteina i kuhinjske soli, a manje masti od "industrijskog" kulena, dok je sadržaj proteina vezivnog tkiva u proteinima mesa kod oba tipa kulena relativno mali. U bakterijskoj flori kulena dominiraju laktobacili i enterokoke, a slaba aktivnost drugih vrsta bakterija važnih za zrenje kulena uslovljena je niskim vrednostima pH.