Effect of Spices and Salt on Fermentation of Lebanon Bologna‐type Sausage

Spices and different concentrations of NaCl added to sausage mixtures are shown to affect the course of fermentation during manufacture of Lebanon bologna. A mixture of nine spices used in Lebanon bologna formulation enhanced fermentation of these sausages. Sterile or non‐sterile spices enhanced fermentation to the same extent. Similar stimulatory effects of spice were observed when sausages were prepared by natural flora fermentation or by addition of starter culture (a mixture of Pediococcus cerevisiae and Lactobacillus plantarum ). Increasing concentrations of NaCl from 1 to 7% resulted in an inhibition of fermentation with an attendant decrease in lactic acid production. Use of less than 2% NaCl resulted in poor texture in the sausage. Sausages containing 7% NaCl showed very little fermentation in the absence of spices and showed enhanced fermentation when spices were added. From the standpoint of fermentation, texture, color and palatability, sausages containing 2 and 3% NaCl were the best. Generally, formation of cured meat pigment, using either nitrite or nitrate, and texture of the sausages were related to the degree of fermentation attained during processing.