Analyses of interactions and potential functions of microbiota in beef meat for maintaining food safety and quality

Beef is one of the most consumed food in the world, and it can be spoilage or occurred foodborne illness by microbes. These risks could be caused by resident microbiota and their interactions in beef meat. However, there are little information about the potential risk factors by resident microbiota and interactions between microbes in beef meat. In this study, we analyzed the composition, bacterial interactions, and their predicted functions of microbiota in beef meat. A total of 120 beef meat samples (60 fresh ground and 60 non-grounded beef samples) were collected from three different sites and different sampling months in South Korea, and the microbiota were analyzed by the MiSeq system. Although the microbiota in beef meat were different in each sampling site and sampling month, the dominant phyla were same with sharing core bacteria. In particular, psychrotrophic genera related to spoilage were detected in all samples, and they were significantly increased in July. In the co-occurrence networks, genera related to spoilage were negatively correlated to other indigenous genera. These genera could inhibit the growth of other microbes with using glucose by fermentation. Carnobacterium could play the key role in these interactions. Results in this study extend our understanding of microbiota and spoilage by resident microbiota in beef meat, and can apply to develop the prevention and reduction the bacterial risks of beef meat products.