Biomaterial Database

Ropy slime formation in vacuum-packed cooked meat products caused by homofermentative lactobacilli and a Leuconostoc species. 1988

H Korkeala, and T Suortti, and P Mäkelä

Department of Food and Environmental Hygiene, College of Veterinary Medicine, Helsinki, Finland.

This paper deals with the cause of the formation of ropy slime on the surface of vacuum-packed cooked meat products. Two different homofermentative lactobacilli and a Leuconostoc strain were isolated from different ropy vacuum-packed meat products. The strains were able to produce slime experimentally on vacuum-packed cooked sausages. The slime had a molecular weight in the range of 70000-30000 and contained glucose and galactose in a ratio 10:1-10:2. The formation of ropy slime also occurred on sausages without added sugars.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007778	Lactobacillus	A genus of gram-positive, microaerophilic, rod-shaped bacteria occurring widely in nature. Its species are also part of the many normal flora of the mouth, intestinal tract, and vagina of many mammals, including humans. Lactobacillus species are homofermentative and ferment a broad spectrum of carbohydrates often host-adapted but do not ferment PENTOSES. Most members were previously assigned to the Lactobacillus delbrueckii group. Pathogenicity from this genus is rare.
D007934	Leuconostoc	A genus of gram-positive, facultatively anaerobic bacteria whose growth is dependent on the presence of a fermentable carbohydrate. It is nonpathogenic to plants and animals, including humans.	Leukonostoc
D008070	Lipopolysaccharides	Lipid-containing polysaccharides which are endotoxins and important group-specific antigens. They are often derived from the cell wall of gram-negative bacteria and induce immunoglobulin secretion. The lipopolysaccharide molecule consists of three parts: LIPID A, core polysaccharide, and O-specific chains (O ANTIGENS). When derived from Escherichia coli, lipopolysaccharides serve as polyclonal B-cell mitogens commonly used in laboratory immunology. (From Dorland, 28th ed)	Lipopolysaccharide,Lipoglycans
D008460	Meat	The edible portions of any animal used for food including cattle, swine, goats/sheep, poultry, fish, shellfish, and game.	Meats
D008461	Meat Products	Articles of food which are derived by a process of manufacture from any portion of carcasses of any animal used for food (e.g., head cheese, sausage, scrapple).	Meat Product,Product, Meat,Products, Meat
D008970	Molecular Weight	The sum of the weight of all the atoms in a molecule.	Molecular Weights,Weight, Molecular,Weights, Molecular
D005285	Fermentation	Anaerobic degradation of GLUCOSE or other organic nutrients to gain energy in the form of ATP. End products vary depending on organisms, substrates, and enzymatic pathways. Common fermentation products include ETHANOL and LACTIC ACID.	Fermentations
D005516	Food Microbiology	The presence of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in food and food products. This term is not restricted to pathogenic organisms: the presence of various non-pathogenic bacteria and fungi in cheeses and wines, for example, is included in this concept.	Microbiology, Food
D005690	Galactose	An aldohexose that occurs naturally in the D-form in lactose, cerebrosides, gangliosides, and mucoproteins. Deficiency of galactosyl-1-phosphate uridyltransferase (GALACTOSE-1-PHOSPHATE URIDYL-TRANSFERASE DEFICIENCY DISEASE) causes an error in galactose metabolism called GALACTOSEMIA, resulting in elevations of galactose in the blood.	D-Galactose,Galactopyranose,Galactopyranoside,D Galactose
D005947	Glucose	A primary source of energy for living organisms. It is naturally occurring and is found in fruits and other parts of plants in its free state. It is used therapeutically in fluid and nutrient replacement.	Dextrose,Anhydrous Dextrose,D-Glucose,Glucose Monohydrate,Glucose, (DL)-Isomer,Glucose, (alpha-D)-Isomer,Glucose, (beta-D)-Isomer,D Glucose,Dextrose, Anhydrous,Monohydrate, Glucose