# Effect of Fermentation Technology and Storage Time on the Quality of Salami-Type Sausages
## 3 Results and Discussion
### Influence of Fermentation Technology on the Microbiological Characteristics of Salami-Type Sausages
_Pediococcus acidilactici_ can produce exopolysaccharides that restrict the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and malondialdehydedehyde (MDA), while increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) [43]. The total number of coagulase-negative _Staphylococcus_ spp. in the salami-type sausages was about 3.2 log CFU/g, irrespective of the fermentation method applied (Table 2). It is important to note that the _Staphylococcus carnosus_ strain was incorporated into the sausages as a starter culture component (see Section 2.1). According to [PERSON] et al. [44], the final count of coagulase-negative _Staphylococcus_ spp. during the ripening of fermented sausages can vary from 3 to 9 log CFU/g, depending on the sausage type, pH, salt levels, and competition with LAB. Importantly, _Staphylococcus carnosus_ demonstrates a relatively high metabolic activity (see Table 1), which can limit oxidative changes, stabilize the typical red color, and preserve meat products' desired odor and flavor over time [20; 21]. Influence of Fermentation Technology and Storage Time on the Primary Chemical Composition of Salami-Type Sausages  
The primary chemical composition of the finished product depends primarily on the composition of the raw material and its production technology. According to technological assumptions, the salami-type sausages produced had the same raw material composition. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c} \hline \hline \multirow{2}{*}{**Microorganisms**} & \multicolumn{2}{c}{**Total Cell Count [log CFU/g]**} \\ \cline{2-3}  & **“Warm” Technology** & **“Cold” Technology** \\ \hline Aerobic cell count (ACC) & 7.11 \(\pm\) 0.30 b & 6.15 \(\pm\) 0.22 a \\ Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) & 7.08 \(\pm\) 0.39 b & 5.92 \(\pm\) 0.35 a \\ _Pediococcus_ spp. & ND & 5.43 \(\pm\) 0.41 \\ Coagulase-negative & 3.30 \(\pm\) 0.46 a & 3.07 \(\pm\) 0.50 a \\ _Staphylococcus_ spp. & & 3.08 \(\pm\) 0.42 \\ Yeast & ND & 3.08 \(\pm\) 0.42 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} ND—not detectable; different lowercase letters between means values \(\pm\) standard deviations in the row indicate significant differences (grouping variable: fermentation technology), \(p\leq 0.05\).  
\end{table} 
Table 2: Microbiological characteristics of salami-type sausages fermented with “warm” and “cold” technology after 14 days of ripening. Still, the fermentation method was different: the \"warm\" (traditional) method and the \"cold\" method (as detailed in Section 2.1). The sausages did not differ in water, protein, fat, salt, and ash content (Table 3). Furthermore, their primary chemical composition was typical for meat products available on the Polish market [45; 46]. Moreover, the conducted studies did not show a significant effect of storage time on the content of the chemical components in the salami-type sausages, irrespective of the fermentation technology used (Table 3). Similarly, [PERSON] et al. [47] observed no significant changes in the water, protein, and fat content during the cold storage of smoked salami and mold salami. In turn, [PERSON] et al. [48] emphasized that water loss during storage would result in an increase in the percentage concentration of other components. In these studies, the proper chemical composition of the salami sausages was primarily established during the fermentation and ripening stages. Throughout these processes, the increased metabolic activity of the starter cultures led to the production of lactic acid and other metabolites (e.g., bacteriocins) with antimicrobial or antioxidant effects, as well as the proteolytic and lipolytic transformation of components, influencing the texture, flavor, and odor characteristics [2; 3; 18; 19]. Refrigerated storage serves the purpose of retarding the processes that alter food products, thereby upholding their longevity and safety. The observed minimal changes in the composition of the tested salami sausages during storage (Table 3) suggest their overall stable quality.