Abstract:

Total 216 bacterial strains were isolated from the traditional fermented meat products “Nanx wudl”, and 9 nitrate reducing strains were screened by the liquid media method combined with fast semi-quantitative plate method according to the conversion ability of nitrate to nitrite. Among them, the strains No. 1708 and No. 1709 had the highest reducing activity. Furthermore, these two strains were salt-tolerant and non-hemolytic and did not cause the generation of peculiar smell. Therefore they might be developed as a potential meat starter. According to the physiological-biochemical and molecular biological identification, both of them were Staphylococcus carnosus.

Key words: Nanx wudl, Staphylococcus carnosus, nitrate reductase, meat starter