Comparative taxonomic profiling of microbiota in liquid and powdered horse milk via full-length 16s rRNA sequencing

This study evaluated the effects of substrate form and dextrin addition on the microbial communities of horse milk in three forms: liquid (SKC), powdered with dextrin (SKD), and powdered without dextrin (SKT). Analysis was conducted using full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing covering the entire V1 to V9 regions to identify microbial diversity and composition. The results showed that SKT had higher microbial diversity, including non-conventional genera such as Brevibacillus and Lysinibacillus. SKC and SKD were dominated by Lactobacillus, particularly L. gallinarum and L. helveticus. Sankey diagrams and PCA analysis revealed distinct community structures across treatments. These findings indicate that processing and additives can influence the microbiota composition of horse milk. This study provides a scientific basis for the development of processed horse milk products with the potential to retain functional microbes.