Starter cultures can be defined as preparations with a large number of cells that include a single type or a mixture of two or more microorganisms that are added to foods in order to take advantage of the compounds or products derived from their metabolism or enzymatic activity. In foods from animal origin, starter cultures are widely used in the dairy industry for cheese, yogurt and other fermented dairy products, in the meat industry, mainly for sausage manufacture, and in the fishery industry for fermented fish products. Usually, microorganisms selected as starter culture are isolated from the native microbiota of traditional products since they are well adapted to the environmental conditions of food processing and are responsible to confer specific appearance, texture, aroma and flavour characteristics. The main function of starter cultures used in food from animal origin, mainly represented by lactic acid bacteria, consists in the rapid production of lactic acid, which causes a reduction in pH, inhibiting the growth of pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms, increasing the shelf-life of fermented foods. Also, production of other metabolites (e.g., lactic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, benzoic acid, hydrogen peroxide or bacteriocins) improves the safety of foods. Since starter cultures have become the predominant microbiota, it allows food processors to control the fermentation processes, excluding the undesirable flora and decreasing hygienic and manufacturing risks due to deficiencies of microbial origin. Also, stater cultures play an important role in the chemical safety of fermented foods by reduction of biogenic amine and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons contents. The present review discusses how starter cultures contribute to improve the microbiological and chemical safety in products of animal origin, namely meat, dairy and fishery products.

Food security, as part as public health protection, constitutes one of the main objectives for countries aiming to ensure the health of all their citizens. However, food security is compromised worldwide by conflict, political instability, or economic crises, both in developed and developing countries. Conversely, because of the importance of agriculture to the economies of rural areas both in developed and developing countries, this sector can contribute to improving food stability, as well as to furthering food security. Thus, livestock and traditional meat products represent a key factor in ensuring food availability. Overall, biosecurity measures improve animal welfare by decreasing the occurrence of diseases that compromise the stability by causing fluctuations in the availability of meat and animal-derived food products such as milk, eggs, or traditional fermented products. As a consequence, an absence of biosecurity measures affects food security (in its quantitative definition, as described above) as well as the productive, sanitary, and environmental sustainability of the rural environment. Products of animal origin support local trade and the regional economy, while contributing to the availability of foods without great external dependence. The manufacture of foods of animal origin aims to create products that are durable and that maintain food availability for long periods of time, even during seasons with scarce resources. Thus, dry-cured or fermented meat products play an important role in food availability. Food security also refers to food access under healthy economic conditions; therefore, knowledge of the main tools that guarantee the safety of these kinds of food products is essential to achieving food stability and further food security.

Advances and research in biotechnology have applications over a wide range of areas such as microbiology, medicine, the food industry, agriculture, genetically modified organisms and nanotechnology, among others. However, research with pathogenic agents such as virus, parasites, fungi, rickettsia, bacterial microorganisms or genetic modified organisms has generated concern because of their potential biological risk - not only for people, but also for the environment due to their unpredictable behavior. In addition, concern for biosafety is associated with the emergence of new diseases or re-emergence of diseases that were already under control. Biotechnology laboratories require biosafety measures designed to protect their staff, the population and the environment, which may be exposed to hazardous organisms and materials. Laboratory staff training and education is essential, not only to acquire a good understanding about the direct handling of hazardous biological agents but also knowledge of the epidemiology, pathogenicity and human susceptibility to the biological materials used in research. Biological risk can be reduced and controlled by the correct application of internationally recognized procedures such as proper microbiological techniques, proper containment apparatus, adequate facilities, protective barriers and special training and education of laboratory workers. To avoid occupational infections, knowledge about standardized microbiological procedures and techniques and the use of containment devices, facilities and protective barriers is necessary. Training and education about the epidemiology, pathogenicity and biohazards of the microorganisms involved may prevent or decrease the risk. In this way, the scientific community may benefit from the lessons learned in the past to anticipate future problems.

From the point of public health, the objective of the slaughterhouse is to guarantee the safety of meat in which meat inspection represent an essential tool to control animal diseases and guarantee the public health. The slaughterhouse can be used as surveillance center for livestock diseases. However, other aspects related with animal and human health, such as epidemiology and disease control in primary production, control of animal welfare on the farm, surveillance of zoonotic agents responsible for food poisoning, as well as surveillance and control of antimicrobial resistance, can be monitored. These controls should not be seen as a last defensive barrier but rather as a complement to the controls carried out on the farm. Regarding the control of diseases in livestock, scientific research is scarce and outdated, not taking advantage of the potential for disease control. Animal welfare in primary production and during transport can be monitored throughout ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection at the slaughterhouse, providing valuable individual data on animal welfare. Surveillance and research regarding antimicrobial resistance (AMR) at slaughterhouses is scarce, mainly in cattle, sheep, and goats. However, most of the zoonotic pathogens are sensitive to the antibiotics studied. Moreover, the prevalence at the slaughterhouse of zoonotic and foodborne agents seems to be low, but a lack of harmonization in terms of control and communication may lead to underestimate its real prevalence.