# Influence of LAB Fermentation on the Color Stability and Oxidative Changes in Dry-Cured Meat
## 3 Results
Taking these trends into account, the highest levels of metmyoglobin were observed in BAUER tests (\(p<0.05\)) and the lowest in BB tests (\(p<0.05\)) in the 6 th and 9 th months of aging. However, in the 12 th month, the highest decrease in Ox\({}_{\rm i}\) in BB tests was observed among all variants (\(p<0.05\)), which corresponds to the decrease in the \(a^{*}\) parameter, thus suggesting changes caused by myoglobin oxidative factors. The TBARS are commonly used as indicators of the degree of lipid peroxidation. They are formed during the second stage of autoxidation, during which peroxides are oxidized to aldehydes and ketones. In this study, the influence of the LAB strain used on the TBARS value during cold storage was confirmed. The use of LAB strains was associated with an increase in the TBARS value, as shown in Table 3. Among the LAB variants, the highest TBARS value was observed in LOCK tests and the lowest in BB and BAUER tests (in the 9 th month). Taking into account the time criterion, the TBARS value significantly (\(p<0.05\)) decreased in all analyzed variants with an increase in the period of storage (\(p<0.05\)), compared with the initial value. Another parameter related to the oxidative status in the meat matrix is the ORP index. It is used to assess the balance between the formation of reactive oxygen species and the degree of their neutralization. A lower ORP value indicates a higher ability to donate electrons and eliminate free radicals. Similar to TBARS, the ORP index decreased with an increase in the fermentation period, although from the 9 th month, these changes were not statistically significant (\(p>0.05\)) (except for the BAUER test, where a significant systematic decrease in the ORP index was observed). Taking into account the influence of LAB on the ORP index, in the first research period (6 months), BB samples showed the best (lowest) ORP index, although in the 9 th and 12 th months, the LOCK tests showed a more favorable ORP index compared with samples subjected to spontaneous fermentation. Surface hydrophobicity is determined by the number of hydrophobic groups on the surface of the protein molecules. In the first research period (6 months), a decrease in surface hydrophobicity was observed in LAB samples compared with the control sample subjected to spontaneous fermentation. Further analysis of the data showed that surface hydrophobicity was stable in the next research period (9 months) and then decreased with an increase in the refrigerated storage time of the products, reaching the lowest value in the 12 th month. The BAUER test is an exception, in which a systematic increase in surface hydrophobicity was observed, reaching the highest value after 12 months in all samples (Figure 1). The free SH group content can be considered a characteristic of protein unfolding and/or denaturation. As shown in Figure 2, in 6-month-old meat products, the number of SH groups was similar in C, LOCK, and BB12 tests and was on average 0.178 mg/mL (\(p>0.05\)). The lowest SH content (\(p>0.05\)), amounting to 0.10 mg/mL, was observed in BAUER tests in the 6 th month. After 9 months, a significant decrease in the SH content was observed in the control sample (C), as well as an increase in tests with the starter culture (\(p>0.05\)), compared with the previous period. In the 9 th month, the highest SH content was observed in LOCK and BB samples, averaging 0.23 mg/mL (\(p>0.05\)), followed by BAUER (0.14 mg/mL) and C (0.12 mg/mL) samples (\(p>0.05\)).