Recently, during the ripening of goose sausage, a defect consisting of ammonia and vinegar
smell was noticed. The producer of the craft facility, located in Lombardia, a Northern region of Italy,
asked us to identify the cause of that defect. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the potential
responsible agents for the spoilage of this lot of goose sausages. Spoilage was first detected by sensory
analysis using the “needle probing” technique; however, the spoiled sausages were not marketable
due to the high ammonia and vinegar smell. The added starter culture did not limit or inhibit the
spoilage microorganisms, which were represented by Levilactobacillus brevis, the predominant species,
and by Enterococcus faecalis and E. faecium. These microorganisms grew during ripening and produced
a large amount of biogenic amines, which could represent a risk for consumers. Furthermore, Lev.
brevis, being a heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria (LAB), also produced ethanol, acetic acid,
and a variation in the sausage colour. The production of biogenic amines was confirmed in vitro.
Furthermore, as observed in a previous study, the second cause of spoilage can be attributed to
moulds which grew during ripening; both the isolated strains, Penicillium nalgiovense, added as a
starter culture, and P. lanosocoeruleum, present as an environmental contaminant, grew between the
meat and casing, producing a large amount of total volatile nitrogen, responsible for the ammonia
smell perceived in the ripening area and in the sausages. This is the first description of Levilactobacillus
brevis predominance in spoiled goose sausage.
