In the manufacture of dry fermented sausages, the addition of curing
agents (salt and nitrate/nitrite), as well as the low pH and
water activity
(aw) achieved during ripening, act as hurdles for food-poisoning and
spoilage bacteria, ensuring the stability and safety of the final product
(Vignolo, Fontana, & Fadda, 2010). However, these products may
still cause food-borne outbreaks as a result of unsuccessful sausage
fermentation in which pH and aw limiting conditions are not properly
established, or due to high initial contamination levels of the raw
material.