The microbial spoilage of meat and seafood products with short shelf lives is responsible for a significant amount of food waste. Food spoilage is a very heterogeneous process, involving the growth of various, poorly characterized bacterial communities. In this study, we conducted 16S ribosomal RNA gene pyrosequencing on 160 samples of fresh and spoiled foods to comparatively explore the bacterial communities associated with four meat products and four seafood products that are among the most consumed food items in Europe. We show that fresh products are contaminated in part by a microbiota similar to that found on the skin and in the gut of animals. However, this animal-derived microbiota was less prevalent and less abundant than a core microbiota, psychrotrophic in nature, mainly originated from the environment (water reservoirs). We clearly show that this core community found on meat and seafood products is the main reservoir of spoilage bacteria. We also show that storage conditions exert strong selective pressure on the initial microbiota: alpha diversity in fresh samples was 189±58 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) but dropped to 27 ± 12 OTUs in spoiled samples. The OTU assemblage associated with spoilage was shaped by low storage temperatures, packaging and the nutritional value of the food matrix itself. These factors presumably act in tandem without any hierarchical pattern. Most notably, we were also able to identify putative new clades of dominant, previously undescribed bacteria occurring on spoiled seafood, a finding that emphasizes the importance of using culture-independent methods when studying food microbiota.

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This study investigated the volatile compounds produced by bacteria belonging to nine different bacterial groups: Lactobacillus sake, L. farciminis, L. alimentarius, Carnobacterium piscicola, Aeromonas sp., Shewanella putrefaciens, Brochothrix thermosphacta, Photobacterium phosphoreum and Enterobacteriaceae isolated from cold-smoked salmon. Each bacterial group was represented by several strains. In addition, combinations of the groups were examined as well. Sterile blocks of cold-smoked salmon were inoculated, vacuum-packed and stored at 6 degrees C. After 40 days of storage at 6 degrees C, aerobic viable count and pH were recorded, the volatile fraction of the samples was analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), and spoilage was assessed by sensory evaluation. Among the 81 volatile compounds identified by GC-MS, 30 appeared to be released as a result of bacterial metabolism. Some of the effects of inoculated bacterial strains on the composition of the volatile fraction seemed to be characteristic of certain bacterial species. Sensory analysis showed relationships between bacteria, the composition of the volatile fraction and the organoleptic quality of smoked salmon.

Aims: The aim of the study was to assess the relationships between the remaining shelf-life (RSL) of cold-smoked salmon and various microbiological and physico-chemical parameters, using a multivariate data analysis in the form of stepwise forward multiple regression. Methods and Results: Thirteen batches of French cold-smoked salmon were analysed weekly during vacuum-packed storage at 5°C for their lipid, water, salt, phenol, pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN) and trimethylamine contents, total psychrotrophic count, lactic acid bacteria, lactobacilli, B. thermosphacta, Enterobacteriaceae and yeast counts. At the sensory rejection time, the¯ora was dominated by lactobacilli, lactobacilli/Enterobacteriaceae or Carnobacteria/B. thermosphacta. Shelf-life was very variable (1->6 weeks) and was related to the initial Enterobacteriaceae load (P < 0á05), depending on hygienic conditions in the smokehouse. High correlations existed between the RSL and lactobacilli count (P < 0á01), yeast count (P < 0á05) and TVBN concentration (P < 0á01). A polynomial ®tting the RSL as a function of those three factors was proposed (R = 0á80). Assuming that lactobacilli count could not exceed 10 9 cfu g -1 , a minimum of 36 mg-N 100 g -1 was necessary for a product to be rejected, with a yeast count of 10 4 cfu g -1 .Conclusions: Estimation of cold-smoked salmon quality is possible by measuring three parameters: lactobacilli and yeast counts and TVBN concentration. Signi®cance and Impact of the Study: The technical content is important for the smoked salmon industry and for development of quality standards for cold-smoked salmon.

Off-odours/flavours associated with cold-smoked salmon spoilage are due to the activity of microflora. This study evaluated the spoilage potential of nine bacterial groups (Shewanella putrefaciens, Brochothrix thermosphacta, Aeromonas spp., Lactobacillus alimentarius, Lactobacillus sake,Lactobacillus farciminis, Carnobacterium piscicola, Photobacterium phosphoreum and Serratia liquefaciens) isolated from cold-smoked salmon. Five different isolates from each group were inoculated into sterile cold-smoked salmon blocks, and chemical and sensory changes were studied after five weeks of storage in vacuum packs at 6°C. Bacterial growth was monitored weekly during the storage period. A sensory profile was assigned to each group. Principal component analysis allowed some bacterial species to be characterised by a specific odour, and correspondence factorial analysis discriminated among the species according to their spoilage potential. The bacteria mainly responsible for spoilage were L. sake, L. farciminis and B. thermosphacta, which produced sulphurous, acidic and rancid off-odours respectively. Some strains of S. liquefaciens produced rubbery, cheesy or acidic offodours. Some P. phosphoreum isolates were characterised by an acidic effect.