Abstract
Staphylococcus xylosus, Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Carnobacterium maltaromaticum, Leuconostoc gelidum, and Serratia liquefaciens were investigated for their roles in in the spoilage of sterilized smoked bacon. These five strains, individually and in combination, were applied as starters on sliced bacon at 4–5 log10 CFU/g using a hand-operated spraying bottle and stored for 45 days at 0–4°C. Dynamics, diversity, and succession of microbial community during storage of samples were studied by high-throughput sequencing (HTS) of the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. A total of 367 bacterial genera belonging to 21 phyla were identified. Bacterial counts in all the inoculated specimens increased significantly within the first 15 days while the microbiota developed into more similar communities with increasing storage time. At the end of the storage time, the highest abundance of Serratia (96.46%) was found in samples inoculated with S. liquefaciens. Similarly, for samples inoculated with C. maltaromaticum and L. mesenteroides, a sharp increase in Carnobacterium and Leuconostoc abundance was observed as they reached a maximum relative abundance of 97.95 and 81.6%, respectively. Hence, these species were not only the predominant ones but could also have been the more competitive ones, potentially inhibiting the growth of other microorganisms. By analyzing the bacterial load of meat products using the SSO model, the relationships between the microbial communities involved in spoilage can be understood to assist further research.
Highlights
Bacon is widely consumed in Europe, North America, and some other parts of the world (Soladoye et al, 2015) but since they are highly susceptible to microbial contamination, thermal processing can be applied to reduce the bacterial load of meat products
Different strain groups appeared in different downtrends, after 45 days of storage, it was found that the acidification in bacon inoculated by C. maltaromaticum and L. mesenteroides was lower (P < 0.05) than that measured in S. liquefaciens and other groups
The dynamic changes in bacterial community structures during the storage of bacon which had been previously inoculated with five potential spoilage bacteria, were evaluated
Summary
Bacon is widely consumed in Europe, North America, and some other parts of the world (Soladoye et al, 2015) but since they are highly susceptible to microbial contamination, thermal processing can be applied to reduce the bacterial load of meat products. One report found that during refrigerated storage, microorganisms, such as Leuconostoc carnosum or Weissella viridescens survived, resulting in post-heat treatment recontamination and eventually, in spoilage. Different microbial taxa/species may be randomly developed during meat storage, influencing the type of spoilage development (Ercolini et al, 2009). This is because the spoilage process is a complex event involving biological activities which are likely to be different for different microorganisms. It is necessary to characterize these organisms, both at the species as well as the biotype levels, in order to better understand the spoilage process. An appropriate method for describing and understanding their growth and activity, or even for evaluating their spoilage potential is crucial (Pothakos et al, 2014a)
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