## 3 Results and Discussion
### Rheological and Colorimetric Results  
The results of the color profile of salami are showed in Table 4. Overall, no statistically significant differences were found between SM and SR for external and internal color. Both the external and internal lightness values (L*) were higher (\(p>0.05\)) in the SM than SR salami. According to [PERSON] et al., 2012 [45], higher L* values in SM could be linked to higher fat levels (Table 3). However, the external color of the SM salami showed a higher (\(p>0.05\)) yellowish (b*) value than SR, likely affected by the homogeneous growth of molds on the entire external surface [46]. SR exhibited a higher (\(p>0.05\)) redness (a*) value than SM, probably due to the presence of _Staphylococcus carnosus_ in the starter cultures, which helps maintain the red color [47]. The hue angle value was significantly affected (\(p<0.05\)) by the use of a different starter culture, showing a significantly (\(p<0.01\)) higher value in the external surface of SR than SM. Considering that the hue value measures color changes perceptible by the human eye [26]; SR was characterized by a more stable color compared to SM. The textural characteristics of dry-cured meat products are mainly influenced by processing technological parameters and the inherent attributes of the raw material [48]. The texture of fermented sausages is closely related to acidification and drying processes. During the acidification process, the development of texture primarily stems from the denaturation and coagulation of meat proteins. In dry-cured fermented sausages, textural properties have been chiefly correlated with pH. The dynamic changes in pH throughout the ripening process significantly influence alterations in textural parameters [49]. The examination of the texture profile of salami highlighted that structural properties are primarily associated with the acidification process (Table 5). Specifically, the reduction in pH to the isoelectric point of myofibrillar proteins (5.1) promotes the gelation of proteins and the cohesiveness of the sausage. This phenomenon is exemplified by the SR salami, in which rapid acidification seems to have affected parameters such as hardness, chewiness, and gumminess, all of which were significantly higher (\(p<0.05\)). According to [PERSON], [PERSON] et al., \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{l l l l l l l} \hline \hline  & & **L* & **a* & **b* & **Hue** & **Chroma** \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{external} & SM & 41.93 \(\pm\) 4.83 & 6.84 \(\pm\) 1.82 & 7.91 \(\pm\) 1.87 & 40.69 \(\pm\) 1.33 \({}^{\text{A}}\) & 10.46 \(\pm\) 2.60 \\  & SR & 35.38 \(\pm\) 2.88 & 10.39 \(\pm\) 2.43 & 8.11 \(\pm\) 2.07 & 52.13 \(\pm\) 0.84 \({}^{\text{B}}\) & 13.18 \(\pm\) 3.19 \\ \hline \multirow{2}{*}{internal} & SM & 48.01 \(\pm\) 3.39 & 10.79 \(\pm\) 1.37 & 7.08 \(\pm\) 1.61 & 56.98 \(\pm\) 2.59 & 12.92 \(\pm\) 2.03 \\  & SR & 45.18 \(\pm\) 2.33 & 9.93 \(\pm\) 3.84 & 9.36 \(\pm\) 4.72 & 47.14 \(\pm\) 13.72 & 13.87 \(\pm\) 5.29 \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular} L*, lightness; a*, redness; b*, yellowness. The \({}^{\text{A,B}}\) mean values differ significantly for \(p<0.05\) (lowercase) or \(p<0.01\) (capital); \(n=3\).  
\end{table} 
Table 4: Color measurements (CIEL*a*b*) of Salame Napoli made with different starter cultures (SM, Euroferment Medium, and SR, Euroferment Rapid).