Lactoflora and sensorial characteristics of experimentally produced Bosnian Soudjouk.

Results of research on lactoflora and sensorial characteristics of experimentally produced Bosnian Soudjouk, the most preferred Bosnian fermented sausage, were presented. In addition, microbiological profile of raw materials used for production of the Soudjouk was investigated. The Soudjouk was produced in three batches (n=30) based on a production specification and a traditional recipe. Fermentation process lasted for 28 days, including a 7-day smoking phase. Sausage samples for microbiological analyses were taken in triplicate on day 0, 2, 4, 7, 14, and 28 of the fermentation process. Identification of bacterial isolates was performed by classical microbiological methods (morphologic and biochemical identification), while the lactic acid bacteria isolates were identified using API50CHL® kits. Sensorial characteristics of final products were assessed by assigning a score from the range from 0 to 10 by an independent expert panel (n=10). In all stages of the production process predominant microbial population in microflora of the Bosnian Soudjouk were lactic acid bacteria (LAB), primarily Lactobacillus spp. The major importance of our research is a detailed investigation of microflora and LAB of the sausage during the fermentation process, as well as to describe dynamics and dominance of LAB species, which surely represents an important contribution to detailed description and preservation of the Bosnian Soudjouk as the main symbol of Bosnian gastronomic tradition and culture. Desirable sensorial characteristics of the produced sausages, as well as absence of certain bacterial foodborne pathogens in the final products, argue in favor of accepting the applied technological procedure of production of the sausage as an acceptable basis for further technological investigation and establishment of standard operating procedures for production of the Soudjouk. Finally, autochthonous LAB isolates from this research may serve as solid basis for further molecular and technological research.