A composite fermentation aid for fermented meat products and use thereof
By using compound fermentation aids, the problems of unstable flavor, difficulty in safety control, and long cycle in the production of fermented meat products have been solved, achieving a fermentation process that is stable in flavor, safe, and efficient.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- WUXI HONGCHI PRESERVED FRESH FOOD CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2026-03-26
- Publication Date
- 2026-05-29
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This invention relates to the field of food processing technology, and in particular to a compound fermentation aid for fermented meat products and its application. Background Technology
[0002] Fermented meat products (such as fermented sausages and ham) are popular with consumers due to their unique flavor, texture, and long shelf life. Their quality hinges on the fermentation process, which relies primarily on the metabolic activities of natural or artificially added microorganisms (mainly lactic acid bacteria, staphylococci, and micrococci) in the meat. Currently, companies typically use single or simple mixed starter cultures when producing fermented meat products. For example, a single lactic acid bacteria starter culture adds only one type or similar lactic acid bacteria (e.g., only Pediococcus pentosaceus). While it can rapidly produce acid, it lacks the ability to generate rich flavor compounds (such as esters and ketones) and stable color, resulting in a monotonous flavor and potentially an overly sour taste due to rapid acid production. Another common commercial starter culture is a basic binary combination of "lactic acid bacteria + staphylococci." While this balances acid production and color, the strain selection is usually quite general, lacking fine-tuning for specific product flavors. The fixed ratio and lack of deep optimization of functional synergy lead to low flavor formation efficiency, insufficient flavor complexity, and limited effectiveness in flavor modification and safety assurance during the later stages of fermentation.
[0003] However, the aforementioned traditional starter cultures have the following limitations: First, their flavor is singular and unstable, relying on natural fermentation or simple strains. The generation of flavor compounds (such as esters, aldehydes, and ketones) is uncontrollable, resulting in significant batch-to-batch variations and making it difficult to establish a stable and unique signature flavor. Second, there is significant pressure to control safety. Harmful microorganisms (such as Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria) may competitively grow in the early stages of fermentation. If the acid production rate of lactic acid bacteria in traditional starter cultures is not matched, there is a risk of excessive accumulation of biogenic amines or inadequate control of pathogenic microorganisms. Third, product quality fluctuates greatly. Key process parameters such as fermentation rate, pH decrease curve, and water activity changes are greatly affected by the environment and initial microbial population, leading to instability in product texture (hardness, elasticity), color (stability of nitrosomyoglobin), and yield. In addition, to achieve ideal pH and flavor, naturally fermented or insufficiently potent starter cultures require longer fermentation times, affecting production efficiency and costs.
[0004] Therefore, developing a composite fermentation aid that can directionally regulate the fermentation process, synergistically ensure safety, efficiently form a stable flavor, and is suitable for industrial production has become an urgent technical problem to be solved in this field. Summary of the Invention
[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a compound fermentation aid for fermented meat products and its application, which solves the problems of unstable flavor, difficulty in safety control, large quality fluctuations and long fermentation cycle in the production process of fermented meat products in the prior art.
[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a compound fermentation aid for fermented meat products, comprising the following components: The functional microbial complex is composed of lactic acid bacteria, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and yeast. Based on the number of viable cells, the ratio of each component is lactic acid bacteria: staphylococci: yeast = 60-70%: 25-35%: 5-10%. The flavor precursor and enzyme complex package includes oligopeptides, free amino acids, fatty acids, and neutral proteases and lipases; Adaptive excipients, including protectants and carriers, fermentation promoters, and antioxidants.
[0007] The lactic acid bacteria are a combination of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus sakei, the coagulase-negative staphylococci are a combination of Staphylococcus carminans and Staphylococcus xylose, and the yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
[0008] The ratio of the lactic acid bacteria, the coagulase-negative staphylococci, and the yeast, based on the number of live bacteria, is 65%:30%:5%.
[0009] The oligopeptide is a hydrolysate of soybean protein, the free amino acids include leucine and valine, and the fatty acid is linoleic acid.
[0010] The protective agent and carrier include skim milk powder, trehalose, and glycerin; the fermentation promoter is glucose; and the antioxidant includes rosemary extract and vitamin C.
[0011] The application of the aforementioned compound fermentation aid for fermented meat products, used in the production of fermented meat products.
[0012] The amount of the compound fermentation aid added is 0.1%-0.5% of the weight of the meat raw material.
[0013] The fermented meat products include fermented sausages or ham.
[0014] This invention discloses a compound fermentation aid for fermented meat products and its application. The compound fermentation aid comprises a functional microbial complex, a flavor precursor and enzyme preparation complex, and adaptive excipients. The functional microbial complex consists of lactic acid bacteria, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and yeast in a viable count ratio of 60-70%:25-35%:5-10%. The flavor precursor and enzyme preparation complex includes oligopeptides, free amino acids, fatty acids, neutral proteases, and lipases. The adaptive excipients include protectants and carriers, fermentation promoters, and antioxidants. Through the synergistic effect of the above components, this invention can rapidly establish an acidic environment to inhibit pathogens, directionally regulate the generation of flavor substances to improve flavor stability, improve product color and texture, and shorten the fermentation cycle. This effectively solves the problems of unstable flavor, difficult safety control, large quality fluctuations, and long fermentation cycles in the production of fermented meat products in the prior art. Detailed Implementation
[0015] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. These embodiments are exemplary and intended to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.
[0016] First embodiment: This invention provides a compound fermentation aid for fermented meat products, comprising the following components: The functional microbial complex is composed of lactic acid bacteria, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and yeast. Based on the number of viable cells, the ratio of each component is lactic acid bacteria: staphylococci: yeast = 60-70%: 25-35%: 5-10%. The flavor precursor and enzyme complex package includes oligopeptides, free amino acids, fatty acids, and neutral proteases and lipases; Adaptive excipients, including protectants and carriers, fermentation promoters, and antioxidants.
[0017] Specifically, the functional microbial complex is the core functional unit of the fermentation aid of this invention, composed of lactic acid bacteria, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and yeast in a specific ratio. Based on the number of viable cells, the ratio of each component is lactic acid bacteria:staphylococci:yeast = 60-70%:25-35%:5-10%. Extensive experimental verification has shown that this ratio range enables the three types of microorganisms to form good temporal synergy and metabolic complementarity during fermentation, avoiding flavor imbalance or safety risks caused by the overgrowth of a single microbial group.
[0018] Specifically, the lactic acid bacteria are a combination of *Lactobacillus plantarum* and *Lactobacillus sakei*. *Lactobacillus plantarum* has a rapid acid production rate, which can quickly lower the pH of the meat substrate in the early stage of fermentation, establish an acidic environment, and thus effectively inhibit the growth of pathogenic microorganisms such as *Staphylococcus aureus* and *Listeria monocytogenes*, ensuring safety in the early stage of fermentation. *Lactobacillus sakei* has good tolerance to low pH and high salt, and can continue to metabolize in the middle and late stages of fermentation, producing flavor peptides that enrich the flavor profile of the product.
[0019] The coagulase-negative staphylococci are a combination of Staphylococcus carminans and Staphylococcus xylose. Both strains have high nitrate reductase activity, which can reduce nitrates added to meat products to nitrites, promoting the formation of nitrosomyoglobin, thereby stabilizing and enhancing the characteristic red color of fermented meat products. At the same time, they metabolize and generate volatile flavor substances such as esters and ketones through lipid oxidation and protein degradation pathways, giving the products a rich fermented aroma.
[0020] The yeast is *Saccharomyces cerevisiae*. This yeast can consume residual sugars and lactic acid in the system during fermentation, mitigating the overly sour taste that may result from rapid acid production by lactic acid bacteria. Simultaneously, it metabolizes and produces aromatic substances such as alcohols and esters, enhancing the flavor profile and harmony. Furthermore, the yeast can form a beneficial microbial film on the product surface, positively impacting the product's appearance and storage stability.
[0021] In a preferred embodiment, the ratio of lactic acid bacteria, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and yeast, based on the number of live bacteria, is 65%:30%:5%. This ratio results in the most significant metabolic synergistic effect among the three bacterial groups, enabling efficient generation of flavor compounds and stable color presentation while ensuring safety.
[0022] The flavor precursor and enzyme complex is designed to provide metabolic substrates for functional microbiota and facilitate the moderate degradation of proteins and fats, thereby directing the generation of flavor compounds. This complex includes oligopeptides, free amino acids, fatty acids, and neutral proteases and lipases.
[0023] The oligopeptides are preferably soybean protein hydrolysates, which have a moderate molecular weight and are easily absorbed and utilized by microorganisms. They can serve as nitrogen sources and flavor precursors, and after being metabolized by the microbial community, they generate characteristic flavors such as cheese and meat. The free amino acids include leucine and valine, which are branched-chain amino acids and key precursors for the generation of branched-chain aldehydes, branched-chain alcohols, and other nutty and cocoa-flavor compounds. The fatty acids are preferably linoleic acid, which, as a representative of unsaturated fatty acids, can be converted into pentylfuran, hexanal, and other flavor substances that impart a green and fruity aroma to the product under the action of staphylococcal lipoxidase.
[0024] Both the neutral protease and lipase mentioned are food-grade microbial enzyme preparations. The neutral protease can moderately hydrolyze meat protein in the early stages of fermentation, releasing more small peptides and free amino acids. This replenishes the flavor precursor pool and improves the tenderness of the meat. The lipase acts on the fat in the meat, releasing free fatty acids, providing substrates for subsequent fatty acid oxidation and esterification reactions, and accelerating the formation of characteristic flavor compounds. The addition of exogenous enzymes allows flavor precursors to accumulate during the fermentation initiation stage, significantly shortening the time required for flavor maturation.
[0025] Adaptive excipients include protectants and carriers, fermentation promoters and antioxidants, which mainly play a role in protecting the activity of the strain, promoting the start of fermentation and maintaining the flavor stability of the product.
[0026] The protective agent and carrier include skim milk powder, trehalose, and glycerol. During drying, the skim milk powder forms a porous structure, encapsulating bacterial cells and reducing ice crystal damage to the cell membrane. Trehalose, a non-reducing disaccharide, can replace water molecules to form hydrogen bonds with cell membrane phospholipids and proteins, stabilizing cell structure. Glycerol lowers the intracellular freezing point, reducing osmotic pressure damage during freeze-drying. The synergistic effect of these three components ensures that the prepared fermentation aid maintains good viable cell count stability during drying and storage.
[0027] The fermentation promoter is glucose, which is the preferred carbon source for lactic acid bacteria. It can be rapidly metabolized into acid in the early stage of fermentation, accelerating the rate of pH decrease, thereby quickly establishing an antibacterial environment and initiating subsequent biochemical reactions.
[0028] The antioxidants include rosemary extract and vitamin C. Rosemary extract is rich in phenolic compounds, which can scavenge free radicals, inhibit the auto-oxidation of fats, and prevent the product from developing a rancid taste. In addition to its antioxidant properties, vitamin C can promote the reduction of nitrites, assist in the color development process, and stabilize the already formed color. The combination of the two can continuously protect the product's flavor purity and color stability during fermentation and maturation.
[0029] This embodiment also provides a method for preparing the above-mentioned composite fermentation aid, including the following steps: High-density culture of bacterial strains: *Lactobacillus plantarum*, *Lactobacillus sakei*, *Staphylococcus carinatum*, *Staphylococcus xylose*, and *Saccharomyces cerevisiae* were inoculated into their respective suitable culture media and cultured at high density. Culture conditions were set according to the physiological characteristics of each strain. For example, lactic acid bacteria were cultured on MRS medium at 37°C under static incubation; staphylococci were cultured on tryptone soybean broth (TSB) at 30°C with shaking; and yeast were cultured on YPD medium at 28°C with shaking. After reaching the stationary phase, the bacterial cells were collected by centrifugation or membrane filtration, washed with sterile physiological saline, and the concentration of the bacterial suspension was adjusted to ensure that the viable cell count of each suspension reached the predetermined requirement (e.g., above 10^10 CFU / mL) for mixing.
[0030] Preparation of functional microbial culture complex: Measure out the above-mentioned cultured bacterial solutions according to the live bacteria count ratio, namely lactic acid bacteria solution (containing Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus sakei, the ratio of which can be pre-optimized, for example, 1:1), staphylococcal solution (containing Staphylococcus carminatus and Staphylococcus xylose, the ratio of which can be pre-optimized, for example, 1:1), and yeast solution, and add them sequentially to a sterile mixing tank and stir evenly to obtain the functional microbial culture complex.
[0031] Mixing of excipients: Weigh out the components of the flavor precursor and enzyme preparation complex (oligopeptides, free amino acids, fatty acids, neutral protease, lipase) and adaptive excipients (skimmed milk powder, trehalose, glycerol, glucose, rosemary extract, vitamin C) according to the formula ratio, and add them together with the functional microbial inoculum complex into a mixing device. Stir thoroughly to ensure all components are evenly dispersed, forming a mixture. During this process, the temperature should be controlled to not exceed 30℃ to maintain the activity of the microbial inoculum.
[0032] Drying and Packaging: The mixed materials are freeze-dried or spray-dried to produce a powdered compound fermentation aid. Freeze-drying can follow a conventional procedure: pre-freeze to below -40°C, gradually raise the temperature to 30°C under vacuum, and dry until the moisture content is below 5%. During spray drying, the inlet air temperature is controlled at 130-150°C, and the outlet air temperature is controlled at 60-70°C to ensure the survival rate of the microorganisms. The dried powder is immediately sealed and packaged under nitrogen protection to prevent moisture absorption and oxidation, maintaining product stability.
[0033] The compound fermentation aid prepared by the above method is a direct-inoculation powder with stable viable cell count, convenient to use, and can be directly applied to the production of fermented meat products.
[0034] Second embodiment: This invention provides an application of the compound fermentation aid described above for fermented meat products.
[0035] Specifically, when the compound fermentation aid provided in this embodiment is used in the production of fermented meat products, its addition amount is 0.1%-0.5% of the weight of the raw meat. Before use, the powder can be mixed with a small amount of ice water to reconstitute it, and then thoroughly mixed with the minced meat. Subsequently, the fermented meat products are processed according to conventional fermentation processes, including inoculation, sausage filling, fermentation, and maturation. The fermented meat products include, but are not limited to, fermented sausages and ham.
[0036] In summary, the composite fermentation aid provided in this embodiment, through the scientific combination of functional microbial communities, flavor precursors and enzymes, and adaptive excipients, as well as optimized preparation processes, constructs a synergistic regulatory system for the entire process from fermentation initiation to flavor maturation. It can rapidly establish an acidic environment to inhibit pathogens, directionally regulate the generation of flavor substances to improve flavor stability, improve product color and texture, and shorten the fermentation cycle. Thus, it effectively solves the technical problems of unstable flavor, difficulty in safety control, large quality fluctuations, and long fermentation cycles in the production of fermented meat products in the prior art.
[0037] The above-disclosed embodiments are merely one or more preferred embodiments of this application and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this application. Those skilled in the art can understand that implementing all or part of the above embodiments and making equivalent changes in accordance with the claims of this application still fall within the scope of this application.
Claims
1. A compound fermentation aid for fermented meat products, characterized in that, Includes the following components: The functional microbial complex is composed of lactic acid bacteria, coagulase-negative staphylococci, and yeast. Based on the number of viable cells, the ratio of each component is lactic acid bacteria: staphylococci: yeast = 60-70%: 25-35%: 5-10%. The flavor precursor and enzyme complex package includes oligopeptides, free amino acids, fatty acids, and neutral proteases and lipases; Adaptive excipients, including protectants and carriers, fermentation promoters, and antioxidants.
2. The compound fermentation aid for fermented meat products as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The lactic acid bacteria are a combination of Lactobacillus plantarum and Lactobacillus sakei, the coagulase-negative staphylococci are a combination of Staphylococcus carminans and Staphylococcus xylose, and the yeast is Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
3. The compound fermentation aid for fermented meat products as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The ratio of the lactic acid bacteria, the coagulase-negative staphylococci, and the yeast, based on the number of live bacteria, is 65%:30%:5%.
4. The compound fermentation aid for fermented meat products as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The oligopeptide is a hydrolysate of soybean protein, the free amino acids include leucine and valine, and the fatty acid is linoleic acid.
5. The compound fermentation aid for fermented meat products as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The protective agent and carrier include skim milk powder, trehalose, and glycerin; the fermentation promoter is glucose; and the antioxidant includes rosemary extract and vitamin C.
6. The application of a compound fermentation aid for fermented meat products as described in any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, Used in the production of fermented meat products.
7. The application as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The amount of the compound fermentation aid added is 0.1%-0.5% of the weight of the meat raw material.
8. The application as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The fermented meat products include fermented sausages or ham.