Acidophilus in Dry Cured Sausage Making

[FoodMan]

Reading through Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's instructions about making salami (I'm really loving his books BTW), I noticed he uses what he calls simply "Acidophilus". He says it comes in powder form or tablet and can be bought at any healthfood store or pharmacy. The reason? To promote fermentation and a powdery mold. He uses no starter culture.

So, a product that is readily available, is shelf stable, ferments and creates mold?? I did some research and Acidophilus is basically the bacteria that makes yogurt (well, mostly) Lactobacillus Acidophilus. It can be used as a food supplement or as an addition to sausages to aid fermentation and "good" mold. You can buy it from your local drug store for a very reasonable price, like at walgreens.

I am sure this is not as good as it sounds. Is it? Has anyone tried using it? If it works as good as the Bactoferm stuff or even close to what Bactoferm does, then why bother paying for Bactoferm?

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions. Am I totally off the mark here?

[Chris Amirault]

Interesting. Worth noting that there's more than acidophilus in there: "Whey Powder - Milk, Cellulose, Gelatin, Water, Magnesium Stearate."

[Chris Hennes]

This is a very interesting thought: I don't actually know what the real differences, from a food perspective, various bacterial strains offer. If you start with the assumption that for sausage purposes you must choose a strain that eats the type of sugar we include (generally dextrose), then it is a question of what those bacteria convert the dextrose into. I'm not sure how many options there are: what is the actual chemical compound that the normal Bactoferm colonies produce? Do the Acidophilus bacteria produce the same thing? If so, and they can survive in the same environment, I don't see why you couldn't use them.

[FoodMan]

This is a very interesting thought: I don't actually know what the real differences, from a food perspective, various bacterial strains offer. If you start with the assumption that for sausage purposes you must choose a strain that eats the type of sugar we include (generally dextrose), then it is a question of what those bacteria convert the dextrose into. I'm not sure how many options there are: what is the actual chemical compound that the normal Bactoferm colonies produce? Do the Acidophilus bacteria produce the same thing? If so, and they can survive in the same environment, I don't see why you couldn't use them.

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I could be wrong, but from reading about it, I think Lactic acid is produced by the Acidophilus.

A side by side comparison of the Acidophilus and Bactoferm, by measuring the PH after incubation and final taste and mold growth in two identical batches of salami, might be in order.

[dougal]

You shouldn't take everything dear old HFW says on the subject of curing too literally.

As one example, on the 'Pig in a Day' DVD it seems he insists that dried Chorizo needs neither starter nor nitrate/nitrite. Why? "Because its not salami". I think this is risky advice to give the public! (IMHO, it suggests "research" that confused recipes for dried and cooked chorizos.)

Anyway, here he is at least using Acidophilus, though probably not any Cure.

However, using acidophilus varieties as a starter culture is actually quite well established. It should help to create a nicely (botulinum safe) acidic environment.

Though I fear HFW may be misleading to suggest that it has anything to do with the surface mould. IIRC that's a penicillium often as not.

There's a UK High St 'health food shop' that sells a nice cocktail, actually as a digestive aid!

Acidophilus provides an additional source of beneficial bacteria naturally found in healthy digestive systems. Typically

chosen when travelling overseas, or when taking antibiotics.

Each capsule contains:

Lactobacillus acidophilus 125mg

(supplying 7.5 x 10^8viable cells)

Bifidobacterium BB-12 15mg

(supplying 6 x 10^7viable cells)

Lactobacillus brevis 0.5mg

(supplying 2 x 10^6viable cells)

Lactobacillus bulgaricus 0.5mg

(supplying 2 x 10^6viable cells)

Lactobacillus salivarius 0.5mg

(supplying 2 x 10^6viable cells)

In a base of 100mg of Citrus Pectin

Directions:Take one to two capsules daily, preferably with a meal.  Do not exceed stated dose.

DO NOT SWALLOW CAPSULES WITH HOT DRINKS.  HEAT KILLS BACTERIA.

REFRIGERATE AFTER OPENING.

Ingredients:Bulking Agents (Dicalcium Phosphate, Microcrystalline Cellulose), Lactobacillus acidophilus,Citrus Pectin, Capsule

Shell (Gelatine), Anti-Caking Agents (Silicon Dioxide, Magnesium Stearate), Bifidobacterium BB-12, Lactobacillus brevis,

Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus salivarius.

http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/pages/pro...ail.asp?pid=753 (the label is available as a PDF)

If you are trying HFW's bacon curing recipes, expect a very salty result!

Earlier this year HFW excelled himself with a tv-broadcast recipe for 'elderflower champagne' - a traditional English brew, quick, light and fizzy. Its just a pity that he tripled-up on the quantity of sugar needed. And didn't mention any pressure requirement for the bottles. And that the Ikea bottles that looked exactly like the bottles seen on the telly, simply couldn't handle the pressure all that sugar generated... http://forum.rivercottage.net/viewtopic.php?t=32661 (among many)

He's an excellent read, but beware using him as a principal guide to Charcuterie!

[FoodMan]

Funny thing is, Hugh uses the Acidophilus but still labels it as "optional". I have no inclination to try his bacon recipes, mainly because I am very happy with the one I use regularly. This Acidophilus thing though perked my attention for the reasons I stated. It's cheap, readily available and seems less finicky than Bactoferm.

Based on some of my research and your helpful comments, it looks like it is certainly worth a try. I have Bactoferm in the freezer now. So, I might do two small batches and compare.

[HKDave]

I could be wrong, but from reading about it, I think Lactic acid is produced by the Acidophilus.

A side by side comparison of the Acidophilus and Bactoferm, by measuring the PH after incubation and final taste and mold growth in two identical batches of salami, might be in order.

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Yup, Lactobacillus Acidophilus does produce lactic acid. But I'm sure there are other variables, so I'd be diligent about checking that post-incubation pH to make sure you got a fast enough drop to a safe (botulism-controlling) acidity.

Given that we know that L. Acidophilus likes lactose, I'd be tempted to have some non-fat milk powder as well as dextrose in the test batch.

I'm looking forward to seeing how this goes.

[FoodMan]

I picked up some Acidophilus at the drugstore today and will be conducting the salami experiment very soon. I bought the NatureMade brand because it had a high guaranteed cell count on it, it includes no preservatives or chemicals and it had the farthest expiration date (hopefully this means it is the freshest). I figured for use in sausage making, buying the better quality tablet is a good idea.

Interestingly enough I also bought a hardcover copy of a (seemingly) interesting book called "Preserved", by Nick Sandler and Johnny Acton, from Half-Price Books today. The main reason I did that? A quick skim through it immediatly took me to the Sausage section and they also use Acidophilus in the couple of dry cured recipes they have (A Hungarian Paprika Salami and a French Garlic Sausage). They do specify that other cultures could be used, but this one is the one most readily available. I sure have to agree with them about the "readily available" part. One amusing factoid about Preserved in light of this thread, HFW himself wrote the intro to it. The book is slim and does seem to have good information about various preservation methods (drying, pickling, smoking..). Now, I need some PH strips and some meat to start my testing .

[ilikefood]

Foodman - did you do your experiment with Acidophilus? I am new to dry curing and curious if there is an alternative to bactoferm.

Thanks!

David

[TheSwede]

I'm also very interested as bactoferm is both expensive and hard to get here.

Anyone?

[FoodMan]

For some reason, I thought I already updated this thread. I guess not.

Well, the recipe I made and tested back in January was that of Sopressata from Ruhlman's book. I divided in half and use Bactoferm in one and two tablets of the Acidophillus in the other half. I fermented them following the instructions in the book and hung them to dry cure in the fridge, loosely encased in a giant ziplock bag to maintain humidity. Fast forward a month and half or so and I got 4 links (~2 in. diameter) of perfectly cured and dried salami. As far as I could tell there was no discernible difference in the look or feel of the batches.

Here they are, along with some homemade terrine I served for a few friends. I honestly do not remember which was which, but like I said, they looked identical.

Taste Test?

Well, it was unanimous. Both batches were very good, but the Bactoferm one had the edge. It was milder and mellower. The Acidophillus one tasted more acidic and as one taster note, more aggressive. Like I said though, these are very minor distinctions and we devoured both with no problem. Bottom line: I would use Acidophillus in a heart beat. It makes a great salami, is easy to store, buy and use. It is certainly cheaper than the Bactoferm. Now, if I am going to be a salami-making fiend, then yes, I would rather go the more proper way and buy different strains of starter for different sausages. I only make this type of sausage once every few months. I wonder of using less Acidophillus would help to make the salami less "aggressive".

More testing is needed I guess.

[jmolinari]

I wonder of using less Acidophillus would help to make the salami less "aggressive".

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Less sugars for the acidophillus to ferment might, not the quantity of acidophillus.

[FoodMan]

I wonder of using less Acidophillus would help to make the salami less "aggressive".

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Less sugars for the acidophillus to ferment might, not the quantity of acidophillus.

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Thanks for the tip Jason. That does make sense more than my theory.

[ilikefood]

FoodMan - thank you for the update! I just might have to try this method some day.

[Luke Williams]

Fantastic post. I'm pretty new to making salamis and was wondering what a good (safe) pH level is for an edible salami. Do you test throughout the curing process or just at the end?

I haven't added any acidophilus to my salamis as I hadn't heard of it until recently but I did plonk a job lot of salt and saltpetre. Would they be ok (safe to eat) before I get some acidophilus? They'll be ready in just under a week

many thanks

Luke