| Summary: | Lactobacilli are used in food because of their beneficial effect on human health and their biopreservative activity in matured meat products. The objective of this work was to study the growth kinetics of <i>Lactobacillus plantarum</i> ATCC 8014 by submerged fermentation at laboratory and bench scales, using a culture medium based on bovine blood plasma (BBP) with hydrolyzed proteins, and to evaluate the maturational effects and sensory properties conferred by the obtained biomass on a matured meat product (pepperoni). At bench scale, it was found that the maximum viable biomass concentration of <i>L. plantarum</i> was 9.58 log CFU/mL, which was higher than what was found in the MRS culture medium (9.53 log CFU/mL). The mathematical model proposed appropriately described the <i>L. plantarum</i> growth kinetics and carbohydrate dynamics during fermentation at laboratory and bench scales in hydrolyzed BBP medium. The application of viable <i>L. plantarum</i> biomass propagated on this medium did not show statistically significant differences during pepperoni maturation compared to the product made with the commercial starter culture. The sensory panel found no differences in the evaluated sensory attributes between these two products. The <i>L. plantarum</i> biomass obtained on this medium can be used successfully in maturation processes in different meat matrices.
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