Ingredients. 10. Combining Quality and Taste. Frutarom Savory Solutions is one
of Europe's leading manufacturers of meat starter cultures. Its continuous R&D ...
Ingredients
Starter Cultures Combining Quality and Taste Frutarom Savory Solutions is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of meat starter cultures. Its continuous R&D efforts have enabled the company to bring several innovative starter cultures to market in recent years. Food Marketing & Technology interviewed Dr. Christian Hertel, R&D Manager Cultures, about current trends and challenges in the development of starter cultures.
FMT: How much time does it take to develop a starter culture – from the initial research to the marketable product? C. Hertel: It’s impossible to generalize really. We dedicate as many as five years to some cultures, while for others, it takes two to three years. When you consider the short product life cycles in the food industry, this is a lot of time. But developing starter cultures is a complicated task: first of all we have to screen for relevant strains, then we have to conduct specific trials to establish whether or not these strains fulfill the desired technical demands. In addition, the starter cultures have to prove themselves in several other aspects – for example, is the microorganism genetically stable or does it lose its properties under certain circumstances? Is it able to predominate over undesirable microorganisms? How does it behave during production and which interactions occur with microorganisms from other strains? Before the culture reaches the stage where it is commercially available, it has to prove its practicability successfully in several trial runs at our own
International Technology Centers as well as at those of some of our industry customers. Modern technologies have simplified and thus shortened development processes. For example, genetic methods such as PCR and DNA microarray techniques make it easier to find new strains, but that doesn’t mean that it’s all about technology. Human expert skills are still needed to combine different strains in ways that ensure optimal taste and product safety in the end. FMT: In your opinion, which trends will we see in the near future? C. Hertel: I think we will actually see a couple of different, interesting trends. Provenance is one and the other is the need for effectiveness. There is increasing interest in traditionally produced raw sausages, largely driven by the fact that consumers appreciate the typical flavor of these products. In particular, they like the mild taste, as is found in traditional Italian raw sausages, for example. Our colleagues in
Dr. Christian Hertel, R&D Manager Cultures with Frutarom Savory Solutions Parma have a wealth of experience and knowledge that enables them to advise our customers not only in Italy but also in Russia and even in China. The second trend – for effectiveness – means that starter cultures will no longer just be responsible for their usual task of controlling the microbial activities of fermentation while ripening, but also that they will fulfill additional functions and hence be more effective. For instance, Staphylococcus strains that use specific metabolic pathways have entered the R&D limelight for their ability to selectively affect flavor development during the ripening of raw sausages. In addition, strains which form new antimicrobial compounds during ripening are in demand. Both of these examples are aimed at increasing the sensory quality and safety of fermented meat products by optimizing the control of spontaneous flora and contaminating pathogens. FMT: What are your latest developments? C. Hertel: In response to the demand for traditionally produced raw sausages, last autumn we launched new starter cultures for the production of typically
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food Marketing & Technology
Ingredients
Italian sausage specialties such as Salami Felino and Salami Milano. Customers can choose between variants that draw on common manufacturing methods used in South Europe where the pH value decreases slowly, generating different and distinctive fermentation flavors. This new range also includes starter cultures that establish a rapid decrease in pH, enabling sausages to be produced more quickly. A special combination of microbial strains ensures that the end products gain a very mild flavor profile – and this is why these cultures are unique, since a rapid decrease to low pH often results in a sour taste.
However, if the pH falls too quickly, it can be detrimental to flavor development. We counteract this by using specifically selected strains. The same is true the other way round – when the pH decreases slowly, the sausage may develop a full, distinctive flavor but may have a higher risk of containing undesirable microorganisms. This can be avoided by using strains which are highly competitive against pathogens and spontaneous flora. With our wide range of starter cultures, we are able to offer both product safety and taste for fast ripening as well as for traditional, slow ripening sausage specialties. FMT: The aim of Frutarom Savory Solutions is to become the leading supplier of starter cultures. How do you pursue this target? C. Hertel: We are not just a supplier, but a competent partner for our customers. We understand the food industry is very fast moving, and that product life cycles are getting shorter, thus innovations are the key to success as consumers are constantly searching for new taste sensations. This is why we conduct continuous market research that enables us to detect trends at an early stage so that we can provide our customers with suitable products and individual solutions. We offer support in application-related, regulatory and marketing issues. We are also able to identify promising niche markets. For example, we were the first producer to develop organic starter cultures. The huge demand for them has proven us right. Furthermore our integration of Parma reinforces this strategy to become a leading supplier. Last but not least, we are proud to be the only European manufacturer of meat starter cultures to conduct not only starter culture R&D work and production in house, but also to provide the necessary ripening agents and seasonings specifically tailored to our starter cultures’ activities. FMT: Thanks for your time and we wish you further success in 2013.
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Key No. 80732
food Marketing & Technology • February 2013
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Key No. 80160
In general, we have to bridge the gap between product safety and great taste in the end products. When it comes to product safety, a low pH in combination with low water activity contributes to the reduction of contaminating pathogens. The quicker a starter culture lowers the pH, the sooner this process begins.
