Comparison of Six Commercial Meat Starter Cultures for the Fermentation of Yellow Mealworm () Paste.

In this study, six commercial meat starters, each consisting of a pure strain of a lactic acid-fermenting bacterium (including , , , and ), were tested for their ability to ferment a paste produced from the yellow mealworm (). During fermentation, microbial counts, pH, and the bacterial community composition were determined. In addition, UPLC-MS was applied to monitor the consumption of glucose and the production of glutamic (Glu) and aspartic (Asp) acid. All tested starters were able to ferment the mealworm paste, judged by a pH reduction from 6.68 to 4.60-4.95 within 72 h. Illumina amplicon sequencing showed that all starters were able to colonize the substrate eciently. Moreover, the introduction of the starter cultures led to the disappearance of and species, which were the dominant microorganisms in un-inoculated samples. Of the six cultures tested, was most promising as its application resulted in the largest increase (±25 mg/100 g of paste) in the content of free glutamic and aspartic acid. These amino acids are responsible for the appreciated umami flavour in fermented food products and might stimulate the acceptance of insects and their consumption.