Diversity study of microbial community in bacon using metagenomic analysis

Abstract

This study is aimed to explore the diversity and dynamics of microorganisms in bacon. The microbes in 36 bacon samples collected from different plots (BC, BL, and BY) and process stages (stage I, II, III, and IV) were investigated by 16S rDNA sequencing. Quality control and operational taxonomic units clustering was performed by Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology software. Total 1,460 representative sequences were identified. The relative abundance of Firmicutes in BC samples was significantly lower than BY samples (p value = .0304). The relative abundance of Proteobacteria in BC samples was significantly higher than BL (p value = .0072) and BY (p value = .0258) samples. The relative abundance of Proteobacteria in stage I was higher than stage IV (p value = .0148). Similarity clustering tree showed that Staphylococcus, Sphingomonas, Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae, and Leuconostoc had higher abundances. These dominant categories might be used for controlling the transformation process and improving flavor and safety of bacon. Practical applications Bacon is a well‐known fermented meat product that contains many microbes. Using 16S rDNA sequencing, the microbial community in 36 bacon samples collected from different plots and different process stages were investigated. After quality control and OUT clustering, the representative sequences of operational taxonomic units were annotated by Recombination Detection Program‐classifier method. Alpha diversity analysis, species composition analysis and abundance difference analysis separately were performed using Mothur software, Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology software and the metastats command in Mothur. Staphylococcus was abundant in BY samples, which could result in infection. Sphingomonas, which was a major bacteria in BC samples, might affect the flavor of bacon in the stage I of processing. Additionally, Pseudomonas, Enterobacteriaceae, and Leuconostoc might have correlation with spoilage of bacon. These findings might be valuable for finding the bacterial species that can be used for controlling the transformation process of raw materials and improving flavor and safety of bacon.

Influence of Tissue Type on the Bacterial Diversity and Community in Pork Bacon

“…Various species of genus Cupriavidus have been used in biotransformation (Hafuka et al, 2011), and Cupriavidus metalliduran was used in a multi-strain probiotic to enhance feed conversion efficiency and meat quality traits in chickens (Atela et al, 2019). Four other dominant genera (Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Brochothrix, and Massilia) in the current study have been found in the spoilage of fermented pork fat, bacon, and fermented fish (Yi et al, 2016;De Mandal et al, 2018). In the current study, the precise function of the bacteria is uncertain.…”

“…Staphylococcus aureus, the most common species, has been detected in various foods such as poultry, pork, beef, milk, and vegetables, and can cause staphylococcal food poisoning (Ding et al, 2019). Previous study showed that higher abundance of Staphylococcus was found in bacon samples from Yongshun and Longshan Counties in Hunan Province (Yi et al, 2016). Some Staphylococcus spp., such as S. vitulinus, S. xylosus, S. carnosus, and S. equorum can produce nitrosylmyoglobin (Li et al, 2013;Hu et al, 2018).…”

“…Different types of traditional meat products with special flavor, including sausage, fermented fish, and fermented pork fat, have been prepared and consumed for hundreds of years ( Xiao et al, 2013 ; Yi et al, 2016 ; De Mandal et al, 2018 ; Zang et al, 2018 ). Among them, Chinese pork bacon has a very long history in many provinces in China ( Guo et al, 2016 ; Wang et al, 2019 ).…”

A Review: Microbial Diversity and Function of Fermented Meat Products in China

“…A study on the microbial diversity of preserved meats in Hunan Province found that the microorganisms included approximately 20 phyla, among which Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Cyanobacteria, and Actinobacteria were the dominant phyla. In addition, there were more than 10 microbial genera, among which Staphylococcus , Sphingomonas , Pseudomonas , Enterobacter , and Leuconostoc were the dominant genera ( Yi et al, 2017 ). The lactic acid bacteria in Longxi preserved meat included L. plantarum , Latilactobacillus curvatus ( L. curvatus ), L. sakei , Companilactobacillus alimentarius ( C. alimentarius ), P. pentosaceus , and Leuconostoc mesenteroides ( L. mesenteroides ), of which L. plantarum has strong acid production capacity and is quite tolerant to sodium chloride and sodium nitrite ( Deng et al, 2019 ).…”

Evaluation of Bacterial Diversity and Quality Features of Traditional Sichuan Bacon from Different Geographical Region

“…However, the research on traditional Sichuan bacon has rarely been reported in the literature [13], and the bacterial community dynamics are still unknown. Although some strains have been studied intensively in laboratory patterns, the bacterial communities have yet to be completely clarified in fermented meat because of the drawback of the culture-dependent method [10].…”