Impact of a Biopreservative Derived from Lactic Fermentation on Quality after Food Processing: A Case Study on Sliced Cooked Ham

This study presents an innovative approach to enhancing the shelf life and maintaining the quality of sliced cooked ham through the application of a natural biopreservative derived from lactic fermentation. The biopreservative, at concentrations ranging from 1% to 3.5%, demonstrated substantial efficacy in microbial inhibition, keeping the microbial density low and relatively constant over time (p < 0.05). Remarkably, even at the lower concentration of 1%, the microbial growth rates were significantly reduced, with the treated samples showing notable stability over 24 days at both 7 °C and 25 °C. The microbial count in the treated with biopreservative group was significantly lower (3.19 log cfu/g) compared to the blank (4.59 log cfu/g) and control (5.01 log cfu/g) over 4 days at 7 °C. The shelf life of the ham was 24 days for the blank, 20 days for the control, and 101 days for the treated group at 7 °C. Moreover, colorimetric analysis revealed that the treated samples maintained better color stability, experiencing less variation in the hue angle and chroma, suggesting a protective effect against quality degradation over time. The successful application of the biopreservative aligns with the growing consumer demand for natural food additives and underscores the movement toward sustainable, health-conscious food preservation practices. The findings of this study indicate a promising avenue for the food industry to adopt environmentally friendly alternatives to synthetic additives, which could significantly influence future standards in food processing and preservation.