Molds play an important role in flavor of fermented sausage production. However mycotoxinogenic
species are common sausage contaminants, too. Penicillium nordicum, represents the main
toxinogenic species isolated from artisanal sausages of different area of Lombardy, a region in the
North of Italy, and of Europe. P.nordicum growing on the surface of sausages, produces Ochratoxin
A (OTA), which penetrating the meat, can be a potential health risk for consumers. The presence of
OTA on casing represent an additional risk, because in Italy consumers are used to eat both meat
and casing of artisanal sausages. To avoid the growth of P.nordicum does not appear effective in
reducing OTA, in particular in artisanal facilities where it is impossible to check the parameters of
Production (Umidity Relative, Temperature, Time). Therefore other systems are needed to prevent
its growth to eliminate OTA from sausage. Different methods are proposed, including brushing and
washing sausages or by spreading starter cultures on the casings before drying and ripening
(Iacumin et al., 2009). By applying both systems, OTA concentration was reduced but nevertheless
it is used to find artisanal sausages with OTA on the casing or inside the meat. Moreover the use of
starter cultures is not choose by some producers, because they think that the sausages must be done
without any additives or ingredients excepted salt, pepper and nitrate and nitrite. Considering the
OTA (Italian Law limit < 1 μg/Kg) and A.ochraceus represent a problem for artisanal sausages, the
aim of this study was to prevent the growth of P.nordicum to eliminate the risk of OTA in sausages
with the use of ozonated air during the first stage of ripening. The use of ozonated air has prevented
the growth of P.nordicum and consequently the presence of OTA on sausages. This is the second
report of the use of ozonated air to limit mold growth on meat products (Iacumin et al., 2012). The
experiment demonstrated that ozone is an effective method to prevent potentially toxigenic mold
contamination and growth. At the end of ripening, no OTA was found on casings of treated samples
whereas it was found on not-treated ones ( > 1 μg/Kg). The use of ozone did not influence the
ripening, the physico-chemical parameters, the peroxide value and the sensorial characteristic of the
sausages. Our data suggest that the presence of OTA on sausage surfaces could represent a food
health risk only when the molds are not removed from casings. To reduce the health risk, for
consumers that are used to eat both meat and casing of artisanal sausages, we suggest to limit the
growth by treatment with ozonated air during drying and ripening. However, despite, these good
result, we think that the use of starter molds is the best technology to eliminate the risk of OTA and
OTA producing mold. To eliminate completely the risk, it is sufficient to inoculate starter mold
cultures after the casing and after the end of drying. In this way the mold cultures inhibites the OTA
producing molds during all the period of ripening.
Keywords: fermented Sausages, Ochratoxin A, Penicillum nordicum, ozonated air
