Characterization of psychrotrophic bacterial communities in modified atmosphere-packed meat with terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism

► Leuconostoc gasicomitatum, L. gelidum and Carnobacterium divergens prevailed in meat. ► The bacteria found in meat by colony identification were also found by T-RFLP. ► T-RFLP results correlated with viable counts of Leuconostoc spp. and Brochothrix thermosphacta. ► T-RFLP was a useful tool for characterization of bacterial communities in meat.