## 1 Introduction  
Dry-cured meat products are among the most popular meat products. The production of these products requires a considerable period of time during which their characteristics are shaped. In this long duration, several physicochemical changes occur in the meat tissue, which contribute to the high quality of meat products. During aging, intensive proteolysis takes place in meat, resulting in the formation of a large number peptides and free amino acids responsible for the final taste and aroma of cured meats. Moreover, due to their unique biological activity, protein-derived compounds or peptides released during aging exhibit health-promoting effects. It has been shown that raw pork or pork products are a good source of bioactive peptides thatra produced after digestion under controlled hydrolysis conditions by various proteases [1; 2], including those typical of the human gastrointestinal tract [3; 4; 5]. The literature reports indicate that peptides present in dry-cured meat products are characterized by antioxidant, angiotensin-converting enzyme(ACE)-inhibitory, and dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV)-inhibitory effects. Peptide production from meat is associated with the activity of endogenous muscle enzymes found in meat products [6; 7; 8], as well as intense protein degradation [9; 10]. The raw material--meat--itself has a great influence on the performance of peptides, which can be related to the differences in the type of muscles of the carcass and the methods used for rearing. Recently, [PERSON] et al. [11] indicated that peptide extracts obtained from Teruel (Spanish product), Parma ham (Italian product), and dry-cured ham from Belgium had varied peptide sequences depending on the type of ham [11]. The authors attributed these variations to the different processingmethods used, and above all, different aging times. Similarly, [PERSON] et al. [12] evaluated the proteome of Xuanwei and Jinhua ham after 2 years of aging and found differences in peptides (especially in those with a molecular weight of <2500 Da) in these products. The authors indicated that the peptide profile could be influenced by the technological steps applied during production, which is characteristic of a given region. It has also been reported that the dry-cured time of meat has an impact on the peptides obtained after simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion [13; 14]. Dry-cured products, based on both whole muscles and minced form (e.g., sausages), are produced using lactic acid bacteria (LAB) that can carry out fermentation processes. Due to their ability to produce lactic acid, these bacteria rapidly decrease the pH of the product, and, thus, increase its safety by inactivating pathogens and inhibiting undesirable changes caused by harmful microorganisms. Moreover, acidification of the environment creates appropriate biochemical conditions that shape the sensory properties of products during aging [15]. In addition to their role in improving the physicochemical, rheological, and organoleptic properties of the products, LAB strains may also contribute to the release of bioactive products through proteolysis during their fermentation and aging, which can be attributed to their proteolytic properties. Thus, the use of LAB strains with proteolytic potential has been recognized as a new strategy for the production of functional foods rich in bioactive peptides [16; 17; 18; 19]. For instance, the effect of starter culture (_Pediococcus acidlactic_ MS200 and _Staphylococcus vitulus_ RS34) and protease addition (Erg222) on the bioactive effects of peptides obtained from dry fermented sausages was recently investigated [20]. The results showed that the ACE-inhibitory and antioxidant activity of the protease batches were increased after 63 days of aging, indicating their excellent stability after simulated in vitro gastrointestinal digestion. Among the LAB strains, some have been assigned the \"probiotic\" status.