Longitudinal Metatranscriptomic Analysis of a Meat Spoilage Microbiome Detects Abundant Continued Fermentation and Environmental Stress Responses during Shelf Life and Beyond

Abstract

It is generally known which organisms are the typical SSO in foods, whereas the actively transcribed genes and pathways during microbial succession are poorly understood. This knowledge is important, since better approaches to food quality evaluation and shelf life determination are needed. Therefore, we conducted this study to find longitudinal markers that are connected to quality deterioration in a MAP beef product. This kind of RNA marker could be used to develop novel types of rapid quality analysis tools in the future. New tools are needed, since even though SSO can be detected and their concentrations determined using the current microbiological methods, results from these analyses cannot predict how close in time a spoilage community is to the production of clear sensory defects. The main reason for this is that the species composition of a spoilage community does not change dramatically during late shelf life, whereas the ongoing metabolic activities lead to the development of notable sensory deterioration.