Transworld Research Network 37/661 (2), Fort P.O., Trivandrum-695 023, Kerala, India Quality of Meat and Meat Products, 2009: ISBN: 978-81-7895-386-1 Editor: İsmail Yılmaz 5 Fermented meat products Ismail Yilmaz and H. Murat Velioglu* Namik Kemal University Agricultural Faculty, Food Engineering Department Tekirdag, Turkey. *E-mail:
[email protected] Abstract Fermentation is an ancient process that has been used to prevent foods and this process is widely practiced in the meat industry as a method of preparing and preserving meat. The bacteria, Lactobacillus, Staphylococcus and Micrococcus, play the most important role in this well known microbial process. Additionally, certain types of yeasts and molds are also used in production of some special fermented meat products. The meat products produced with this method are mostly approved in the meaning of consumers’ acceptance. Sucuk, Hungarian salami and Chorizo are the well known Correspondence/Reprint request: Dr. Ismail Yilmaz, Namik Kemal University Agricultural Faculty Food Engineering Department, Tekirdag, Turkey. E-mail:
[email protected] 2 Ismail Yilmaz & H. Murat Velioglu examples of this kind of products. Numbers of different parameters have to be controlled to obtain high quality fermented meat product. These parameters can be divided in two groups as intrinsic and extrinsic factors. In this chapter, fermentation practices in meat technology and the parameters that should be controlled to produce good quality fermented product are examined. 1. Fermentation Fermentation is a term first used with regard to the foaming that occurs during the manufacture of wine and beer. The process dates back to at least 6,000 B.C.