Characterization of a microbial community developing during refrigerated storage of vacuum packed Yao meat, a Chinese traditional food

Chinese traditional Yao meat (salted pork in jelly) is a popular food product with a unique taste and high nourishing value. Exploration of the microbial ecosystem in vacuum packaged Yao meat during refrigeration was conducted by high-throughput sequencing of the V4-V5 region of the16S rRNA gene. A total of 673,965 sequences from 15 DNA samples were analyzed. More than 226 bacterial genera belonging to 13 phyla were identified, some of them typically associated with meat spoilage. The microbial community at the start of the experiment showed the lowest genetic diversity and was dominated by Bacillus. After one-week of refrigeration, Moraxellaceae, including Acinetobacter, Psychrobacter and other members, Enterobacteriaceae, and Pseudomonadaceae were the prevalent groups. The microbial community reached its highest diversity after two weeks in refrigerated storage. In the later stages of the storage period, an undetermined species of Enterobacteriaceae became predominant, and we suggest that this is the main contributor to Yao meat spoilage. Moreover, the community composition at the end of the experimental storage period was significantly different from that of previous time points. In conclusion, this meta-genomic analysis provides researchers and food industry with useful information regarding spoilage management of Yao meat.