Table 1. Effect of different starter cultures on a_W, pH and salinity values of dry fermented sausages during fermentation and ripening

Attributes	Days	Treatments¹⁾			SEM
Attributes	Days	COS	PE1	PE2	SEM
a_w	1 day of fermentation	0.95^A	0.95^A	0.95^A	0.01
	7 days of fermentation	0.91^B	092^B	0.92^B	0.00
	7 days of ripening	0.83^C	0.84^C	0.84^C	0.01
	14 days of ripening	0.81^D	0.79^D	0.80^D	0.00
	SEM	0.01	0.01	0.01
pH	1 day of fermentation	5.26^A	5.21^A	5.15^A	0.04
	7 days of fermentation	4.62^bB	4.76^aB	4.76^aB	0.01
	7 days of ripening	4.57^bC	4.72^aB	4.71^aB	0.01
	14 days of ripening	4.49^bD	4.66^aC	4.68^aB	0.01
	SEM	0.01	0.01	0.04
Salinity	1 day of fermentation	3.33^aB	3.25^aD	3.05^bC	0.04
	7 days of fermentation	5.71^aA	4.94^abC	4.43^bB	0.29
	7 days of ripening	5.94^aA	5.23^cB	5.40^bA	0.03
	14 days of ripening	6.07^A	6.15^A	6.29^A	0.34
	SEM	0.15	0.10	0.35

Treatments are different strain of Pediococcus spp. used in the present study: COS, commercial starter culture; PE1, P. acidiliactici; PE2, P. pentosaceus, Starterkulturen Almi Rohschinken, used as control (n=3).
Means in a row with different superscript are significantly different (p<0.05).
Means in a column with different superscripts are significantly different (p<0.05).