The effect of inoculation of Lactobacillus casei as a biopreservative strain on the microbiological and chemical quality of smoked roach

The aim of this study was to develop a biopreservation strategy for cold-smoked Caspian roach by the use of Lactobacillus casei previously selected for their capability to inhibit the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in this product. An application on commercial smoked Caspian roach was tested by spraying L. casei (104 CFU g-1) on slices smoked Caspian roach. Microbial and chemical characteristics were each ten days compared to a control during forty days of storage. No significant differences were showed in microbiological and chemical characteristics of inoculated slices with L. casei. The strain L. casei inoculated in SCR in a biopreservation goal exhibits some interesting properties: it is able to grow at high level without giving major quality changes in the product. In conclusion، biopreservation of SCR using lactic acid bacteria such as L. casei is a promising way to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria such as L. monocytogenes with low effect on the quality of the product.