Fermentation is particularly important for the quality of dry-cured sausages, such as a semi-ripened salami, where the microflora present strongly contributes in the resulting ripening properties. Many fermented salamis have been traditionally ripened by the autochthonous bacteria, moulds and yeasts existing in meat factories, adapted to proliferate well in dry-cured sausage. Spontaneous microflora – in particular, some Lactic Acid bacteria (LAB) and, to a lesser extent, some micrococci and staphylococci – shows great growth potential in a salami. The use of natural casing contributes to increasing the load of these fermentative bacteria, since a gut preserved in salt contains high levels of latent bacteria, which can be activated during sausage processing. However, nowadays the use of starter cultures is increasingly widespread in order to standardize the ripening process and to ensure the microbial safety of fermented sausages produced under industrial conditions. Additionally, casing moulds may be used to inhibit the growth of toxigenic or unfavourable moulds and to regulate sausage dehydration.