Molecular Identification of Lactic Acid Producing Bacteria Isolated from Alheira, a Traditional Portuguese Fermented Sausage

Abstract

Traditional Portuguese fermented meat products represent a valued economic and cultural heritage. The objective of this work was to screen the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) present in alheira sausages. Twenty-five LAB were identified by means of Sanger sequencing of the 16S ribosomal gene. Sequencing results were aligned with sequences from the NCBI database using the BLAST algorithm. Genetic analysis showed a diverse lactic-acid-producing microbiome, and LAB from the family Lactobacillaceae and Leuconostocaceae were dominant, found in 64% of samples, whereas other organisms of the family Streptococcaceae and Enterococcaceae were found in 36% of samples. This work enabled the identification of the LAB that are normally present in alheira, as well as the understanding of their association with the technological characteristics of this traditional fermented sausage.

Keywords

• microbial population diversity
• food quality
• food biotechnology
• microbiome
• fermented sausages