Abstract
The effects of Limosilactobacillus fermentum 332 on quality characteristics in fermented sausage were explored in terms of physicochemical characteristics, volatile flavor components, and Quorum sensing (QS). The results showed that the pH of fermented sausage decreased from 5.20 to 4.54 within 24 h with the inoculation of L. fermentum 332. Lightness and redness were significantly improved, and hardness and chewiness were significantly increased after the addition of L. fermentum 332. With the inoculation of L. fermentum 332, the thiobarbituric acid reactive substance content decreased from 0.26 to 0.19 mg/100 g and total volatile basic nitrogen content decreased from 2.16 to 1.61 mg/100 g. In total, 95 and 104 types of volatile flavor components were detected in the control and fermented sausage inoculated with starter culture, respectively. The AI-2 activity of fermented sausage inoculated with L. fermentum 332 was significantly higher than that of the control and positively correlated with viable count and quality characteristics. These results provide support for further research on the effect of microorganisms on the quality of fermented food.