Evaluation of the Spoilage-Related Bacterial Profiles of Vacuum-Packaged Chilled Ostrich Meat by Next-Generation DNA Sequencing Approach

Monitoring the development of the bacterial community in packaged raw meat refrigerated until two weeks is important for identifying the spoilage-related bacteria, preventing meat putrefaction, and prolong the shelf life. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of vacuum-packaging (VP) on the development of spoilage-related bacterial profiles in chilled ostrich meat among three manufacturing batches produced in different periods by using culture-dependent and 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing. Similar to the culture-dependent method, 16S rDNA sequencing showed that Photobacterium was the most prevalent genus detected in VP ostrich meat after 14 days of cold storage. The second-largest group was the population of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), mainly dominated by Carnobacteriaceae including Carnobacterium spp. and Lactobacillaceae with Lactobacillus spp. Our results suggest that these taxa could contribute to spoilage of VP ostrich meat and shorten its shelf life, especially Photobacterium spp., which is considered as a potential meat spoiler.