The Original Dry Bag Steak | Make Artisan Dry Age Steak at Home › Forums › UMAi Dry® Forum Questions › General Questions › Fermentation and Color Change › Fermentation and Color Change
If you checked the starting ph before fermenting it should be around 5.8, from there you can tell how much and how fast it is dropping. 5.3 is ideal for a traditional taste, if you like more tang ferment until 5.0, any lower will inhibit the flavor and color forming bacteria in T-SPX. You may be experiencing more lag time with the small amount of culture added but it should still ferment. Next time start with around 2-3 grams, you really can’t overdose culture.
That being said as long as you are drying at refrigerator temps, I would move them to the fridge after 72 hrs. Ph is the most reliable way to check fermentation but the visual and odor are also good indicators.
If you are reading the Marianski book Ph is only one of the safety hurdles. Ph is more important if drying at traditional temps of 50-58F, as it keeps the bad bacteria at bay until Aw (moisture loss) takes over.
Ultimately the call is yours, personally I would not throw them out.