Fermentation of salmon fillets with a variety of lactic acid bacteria

The influence of five strains of lactic acid bacteria (four Lactobacillus and one Carnobacterium) on the quality of fermented salmon fillets was studied. Best starter growth (increase of more than 1 log in 3 days) and acidification of muscle (e.g. pH reduction of approximately 0.7 units in 5 days) were achieved with the two commercial strains L. sake LAD and L. alimentarius BJ33. pH reduction was consistently lower (e.g. reduction of 0.2 units in 5 days) with C. piscicola 85. Protein breakdown as observed on SDS-PAGE gels was similar for all strains. In contrast, the starter strain did influence texture and colour changes. Fast acidifying strains L. sake LAD and L. alimentarius BJ33 brought about a firmer overall texture and a lighter colour, while softening of flesh occurred in samples processed with C. piscicola 85. Sensory evaluations indicated that samples processed with fast acidifying strains were preferred. L. sake LAD and L. alimentarius BJ33 are regarded as suitable starters for fermentation of salmon fillets.