# Functional and Clean Label Dry Fermented Meat Products:
## 4 Modification of Processing Conditions in Order to Increase the Content of Bioactive Compounds  
Among the possible strategies to obtain fermented meat products with bioactive compounds, the use of starter cultures with proteolytic activity has been suggested to promote the accumulation of bioactive peptides [19]. Recent studies about the use of selected starter cultures to increase the content of bioactive peptides in fermented meat products are presented in Table 3. For instance, the use of _Lactobacillus sakei_ JCM1157 and no. 23; and _Lactobacillus curvatus_ NBRC15884 and no. 28 as individual starter cultures was associated with reduced angiotensin-converting enzyme activity (ACE; an enzyme involved in the constriction of blood vessels) in beef fermented sausages [92]. Additionally, an increase in the antioxidant activity (evaluated by the DPPH method) of the sausages was also observed for all samples except for those produced with _Lactobacillus sakei_ JCM1157. A recent study explored the effect of individual and combined use of a commercial starter culture (_Pediococcus pentosaceus_ and _Staphylococcus carnosus_) and _Lactobacillus plantarum_ XX881772 and the meat source (camel meat vs. beef) in the production of bioactive fermented sausages [93]. The authors indicated that the meat source affected the antioxidant activity of sausages (camel > beef), regardless of the starter culture composition. Conversely, the antidiabetic potential was affected by the starter culture strains. The sausages produced with _Lactobacillus plantarum_ KX881772 (alone or combined with the commercial starter culture) displayed the highest inhibitory effects in \(\alpha\)-amylase and \(\alpha\)-glucosidase (enzymes involved in the digestion of carbohydrates). Particularly for the ACE activity test, the highest inhibitory activity was obtained from the sausage produced with camel meat and _Lactobacillus plantarum_ KX881772 (alone or combined with the commercial starter culture). Moreover, starter cultures increased the degree of protein hydrolysis, which suggested the involvement of peptides in these potential biological effects. A related experiment reported the influence of different starter cultures and the average particle size in the biological activity of fermented camel sausage [94]. According to the authors, the fractions with less than 3 kDa displayed the highest antioxidant activity (especially from sausages produced with _Staphylococc xylosus_ and _Lactobacillus plantarum_) and inhibitory activity against ACE (from all sausages produced with starter cultures). Additionally, the authors identified this effect was mainly observed with peptides in the 3 kDa fraction and indicated the presence of amino acids (such as glutamic acid, valine, and alanine) usually associated with antioxidant activity in their sequences. Fermented pork sausages can also contain peptides with biological activity [95]. In this case, the combined use of _Staphylococcus simulans_ NJ201 and _Lactobacillus plantarum_ CD101 produced sausages with enhanced inhibitory activity against ACE and with high antioxidant activity. The authors also reported an increase in both the degree of protein hydrolysis and the content of free amino acids. Additionally, the identification of the main peptides in the <3 kDa fraction contained key amino acids such as proline, aspartic acid, alanine, and arginine. Similarly, the use of _Lactobacillus plantarum_ CD101 and _S. simulans_ NJ201 as a starter culture in the elaboration of fermented pork sausage increased the antioxidant activity of these meat products in comparison with control samples (without the starter culture) [96]. Another relevant bioactive compound for fermented meat products is CLA. The consumption of this fatty acid has been associated with anticarcinogenic effects and, to some extent, with cardiovascular protection and body weight control at the human level [97].