Thus, catalase production is considered a relevant technological property of starter cultures for fermented meat products (Leroy et al. 2006) Production of this antioxidant enzyme is a common trait in aerobic bacteria, such as CNS. The characterization of catalase and superoxide dismutase in S.carnosus and S.xylosus has been reported. The catalase gene kata of S.xylosus has been studied in detail (Barriere et al.2001a, b,2002).