5% is usually too much sugar if you want a milder, but more complex and flavourful salami

The problem here is that many recipes, especially in earlier publications specified that exact
amount. It was based on information that stated that 10g of dextrose will lower the pH of meat
by 1 full pH point. That is totally true and does work if you are making a Scandination salami or
a summer sausage. But there is the total erroneous assumption that if you measure the meat and
the pH is 5.8 then you add 5 grams to bring it down to 5.3. Why is that wrong? Well, pH is
measured on a logarithmic scale, rather than a linear scale. So, let`s review a number of sources,
that are considered credible, as to how much sugar we need to add to a meat batter to reach the
desired pH.

Let`s start with Stan Marianski, who writes “About 1 g (0.1%) of dextrose per 1 kg of meat
lowers pH of meat by 0.1 pH. This means that 10 g of dextrose added to meat with initial
pH value of 5.9 will lower pH by one full unit to 4.9. Sugar levels of 0.5% - 0.7% are
usually added for reducing pH levels to just under 5.0.”
Marianski lifted that from the eminent meat scientist Fidel Toldra who described it this way in
Dry-Cured Meat Products: “The type of carbohydrate must be carefully chosen since it
affects the rate of pH drop. It must be chosen based on the temperature of fermentation,
the ability of the strain to ferment it (Table 5.1) and the totaltime of processing. The
amount of carbohydrate added will affect the extent of pH drop. Approximately 1% sugar
will yield a reduction of about 1 pH unit during fermentation.(p.93) In general, the amount
of sugar may vary between 0.5 and 1 % but may reach 2% in some semi-dry fermented
sausages. Glucose and saccharose are metabolized quickly and ensure a rapid acidification.
Lactose follows at a slower rate than glucose. Dextrines or starch are metabolized slowly
and their use is recommended for long ripening sausages. (p.6)”

Ockerman and Basu explain it this way: “Simple sugars such as glucose (dextrose, 0.5 to 1%,
a minimum of 0.75% is often recommended) which is the fermentation substrate can be
readily used by all lactic acid bacteria. The quantity of sugar influences the rate and extent
of acidulation, and also contributes favourably to flavour, texture, and yield properties.
The amount of dextrose added, up to ~ 0.7%, will directly influence the final product pH
and additional sugar will not decrease pH further since bacterial cultures can not grow in
excess acid. (p.120)”

Gerhard Feiner also uses the 10g equals 1 point pH drop correlation: “Generally, 1 g (or 0.1%)
of dextrose added per 1 kg of salami lowers the pH by 0.1 pH unit, which is equal to
reducing the pH by 1 unit when adding 1%, or 10 g, of dextrose per 1 kg of salami.
Therefore, 8-10 g of dextrose reduces the pH in salami from around 5.7 to around 4.6-4.8,
which is frequently the final pH desired. Similar declines in pH value can be achieved by
adding 7 g of dextrose or 2-4 g of lactose. (p.125)”

So the common thread in all of the above is 10g of dextrose will lower the pH by one point. But
all refer to lowering the pH to 4.6 - 4.8, and not from 5.7 - 5.8 to 5.2 - 5.3. The reason for that is
that we don't need as much sugar to lower the pH from those higher levels. 1 gram of dextrose
will not lower the pH by .1 and 2 grams will not lower it by .2. Being a logarithmic
measurement, pH is not linear and is not directly proportional to the acid concentration. . This
means that for each one-digit change in pH, the acidity (H+ concentration) changes by 10 times. For
example, a salami batter with a pH of 5 has 10 times more H+ than a batter with a pH of 6. This video
explains the difference between linear and logarithmic scale.

So now we know that we can add 6-10g of dextrose when we want a to make a Scandinavian
style salami or an American summer sausage. But when making a mild flavoured Mediterranean
style sausage 3g usually enough with slow fermentation. And even then it sometimes can be too
much as many of us have discovered with B-LC-007. While the amount of sugar will ultimately
determine the acidity of the salami, there are other factors to consider. One important one is fat
content. Lactic acid will not metabolize fat so salami with a high red meat content will require
more sugar and less when there is a high proportion of fat. Furthermore, using the same amount
of fermentable sugar, pH will drop to a lower value in a fast fermentation than in a slow
fermentation using the same strain. Better control of the fermentation process and better results
can be achieved by using a combination of sugars which will slow the fermentation and still
lower the pH to the desired level. Gerhard Feiner explains it this way:

The decline in pH value in the product depends largely on the type and amount of sugar
introduced into salami in first place. Elevated levels of sugar leads generally to a stronger
acidification and therefore lower pH values. To be fermented into lactic acid, sugars such
as sucrose, lactose, and maltose must be broken down first into monosaccharide. Glucose,
on the other hand, can be fermented directly into lactic acid and is therefore by far the
most often applied form of sugar in fermented salami. The production and ratio of d- and l-
lactic acid in the salami depends on the species of lactic acid chosen as being the starter
culture. Sucrose is the second fastest fermentable sugar. Maltose and lactose require a
considerably longer period of time for the glycosidic bonds in their molecules to be broken
until fermentable monosaccharide are produced. In essence, all lactic acid bacteria (LAB)
can ferment glucose into lactic acid. Sucrose can be fermented by around 85% of LAB,
maltose by around 70% of LAB and lactose by only around 55%. Only around 30% of
lactic acid bacteria ferment galactose into lactic acid. (pp125-126)

Lastly, let's take a look at Marianski`s salami recipes. They all call for 2-4 grams of sugar in
traditional Southern European products. Toldra also points out that even naturally present
Lactobacillus spp. ferment added sugars, generally between 2 and 4 g/kg of sausage mass,
and in case the pH value tends to drop to levels below 5.3-5.2.

I hope this will help everyone to get a better grasp on the fermentation process and encourage
more study and experimentation.
For those that don't want to dwell on the detail, there are three points in there that form the basis
of the above:
1. ph is measured on a logarithmic scale and not on a linear scale.
2. The common guideline of using 1gram of dextrose to lower the pH by .1 applies only when
you are adding 10g to the salami. You need considerably less when you want to lower the pH to
5.3 - 5.2.
3. It is good practice to use more than type of sugar when fermenting Southern European style
sausages.