Comparing natural and selected starter cultures in meat and cheese fermentations

•Recent literature on the use of starter cultures in food fermentation was reviewed.•Starter cultures generally improve acidification and pathogens control.•Taste and aroma are often but not always improved.

In the last decades, the inoculum of high counts of suitable microorganisms, defined as starter cultures, has become a widely adopted approach in the production of fermented foods. Here, we reviewed the recent works about the use of selected cultures or the exploitation of indigenous microbiota in the production of dry fermented sausages and dairy products. We found that the scientific literature is well consistent in indicating a significant advantage in the use of selected and natural starter cultures (SSC and NSC) as compared to adventitious microbiota (AM) in terms of acidification, sensory traits and acceptability of final ripened products, as well as in the control of undesired microorganisms. Anyway, a thorough understanding of the interactions at ecological level between the introduced strains and the autochthonous microbial communities is a challenge that needs to be addressed in the near future.