Sensitivity of three pathogenic bacteria to Turkish cemen paste and its ingredients Hasan Yetim a, * , Osman Sagdic a , Mahmut Dogan a , Herbert W. Ockerman b a Erciyes University, Faculty of Engineering, Food Science Department, 38039 Kayseri, Turkey b The Ohio State University, Department Animal Sciences, Columbus, OH, USA Received 14 October 2005; received in revised form 20 February 2006; accepted 7 April 2006 Abstract Pastirma is a dry cured meat product which is pasted with cemen. This paste is prepared from ground fenugreek, garlic and red hot pepper (RHPP). In this study, the cemen mix/paste and all its ingredients were tested for their inhibitory effects on Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Yersinia enterocolitica. All samples had a varying inhibitory effect against all the bacteria tested during 4 days of storage. Complete cemen paste showed the strongest inhibitory effect on the three pathogens compared to ingredients alone. Fenu- greek and RHPP had a bacteriostatic effect while the cemen paste and garlic had a bactericidal effect. S. aureus was the most sensitive bacterium while Y. enterocolitica was the most resistant. The results of this study confirmed the protective effect of cemen paste and garlic in food preservation especially against E. coli, S. aureus and Y. enterocolitica proving safety for public health. Hence it might be con- cluded that cemen paste is the first hurdle to prevent bacterial contamination, and a low pH (4.83) value would also add an additional barrier to secure safety of the product. Finally, it can be suggested that similar studies should be conducted on actual meat systems to confirm these findings. Ó 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Fenugreek; Garlic; Red pepper; Pastirma; Cemen; Antibacterial effect 1. Introduction Meat spoils readily unless kept at temperatures in the proximity of 0 °C or is processed immediately. Therefore, traditional methods of meat preservation, such as salting and drying, still continue to play an important role in many of the world’s less developed countries (Norman & Corte, 1985; Yetim, 2000). Salted and dried meat products with specific textural and eating quality characteristics can be produced with an useable shelf-life of 3–5 months without noticeable deterioration, with unique taste and flavor which makes them a delicacy (Leistner, 1987). Pastirma is one of the salted and partially fermented dry cured meat products which is pasted with cemen (outside covered with a paste which makes it different from its coun- terparts) and stored for several months without refrigera- tion, and it is highly regarded and very popular in most of the Middle East countries (Aksu & Kaya, 2001; Aksu, Kaya, & Ockerman, 2005; El-Khateib, Schmidt, & Leist- ner, 1987; Tekinsen & Dogruer, 2000). The end product is highly tasty and nutritious, and it contains an average of 45% moisture, 30% protein, 15% fat, 5% carbohydrate (from paste) and 5% ash under normal conditions and may be consumed either raw or cooked. The paste, called cemen used to cover pastirma is prepared from the follow- ing herbs; 50% fenugreek (ground), 35% garlic (fresh and ground) and 25% red pepper (ground) which are mixed with water to make a slurry like paste. It is then placed on the surface of the meat block, approximately 0.3– 0.5 cm thick (Anon, 1991; Gokalp, Kaya, & Zorba, 1999). This paste covering the slabs of pastirma is both an important factor in the flavor and protection of the meat from drying and spoiling by contact with air during 0309-1740/$ - see front matter Ó 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2006.04.001 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 352 4374937; fax: +90 352 4375784. E-mail address: hyetim@erciyes.edu.tr (H. Yetim). www.elsevier.com/locate/meatsci Meat Science 74 (2006) 354–358 MEAT SCIENCE