Debaryomyces hansenii and rosemary to control the hazard linked to ochratoxin A during the ripening of "chorizo" and "salchichón".

Ochratoxin A (OTA) in dry-cured sausages should be controlled to reduce consumer exposure. The use of microorganisms and plants has been proposed as the most promising strategy to diminish OTA accumulation in them. The ability of Debaryomyces hansenii (Dh) and rosemary-based treatments to control the OTA contamination due to the co-occurrence of Penicillium nordicum and Aspergillus westerdijkiae in "chorizo" and "salchichón" was assessed. OTA accumulation on the surface was generally higher in "salchichón" than in "chorizo", with the highest OTA reduction being achieved in the first matrix. Specifically, Dh, rosemary essential oil (REO), casing macerated with rosemary (CMR), and the combination Dh + CMR reduced OTA levels by up to 51.44% in "salchichón", whilst REO and its combination with Dh surprisingly increased OTA production in "chorizo" (576.48% and 14,587.50%, respectively). Dh combined with CMR was the only antiochratoxigenic strategy that was consistently effective in both matrices. Although the amount of OTA detected internally was small compared with that on the surface, the stimulation of OTA observed in the presence of certain biopreservatives poses a potential risk to food safety. Besides, the biocontrol strategies did not cause undesirable changes in the ripening related parameters (pH and water activity) or in the development of the fungal population in "chorizo" and "salchichón". The adaptation of P. nordicum to ripening conditions was more effective than that of A. westerdijkiae. Thus, this work supports the use of D. hansenii FHSCC 253H and rosemary leaves as biocontrol agents for mitigating OTA contamination in "chorizo" and "salchichón".