Metagenomic assessment of the microbial diversity in ground pork products from markets in the North Central Region of South Korea. Issue 9 (1st September 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Koo, Ok-Kyung; Baker, Christopher A.; Kim, Hyun-Jung; Park, Si Hong; Ricke, Steven C.
• Is Part Of: Journal of environmental science and health. Volume 51:Issue 9(2016)
• Page Start: 622
• Page End: 627
• Publication Date: 2016-09-01
• Subjects: Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis -- ground pork -- metagenomics -- pyrosequencing; Pesticides -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Food contamination -- Periodicals; Agricultural wastes -- Environmental aspects -- Periodicals; Ecology -- periodicals; Pesticides -- toxicity -- periodicals; Food Contamination -- periodicals; 363.73
• DOI: 10.1080/03601234.2016.1181910
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0360-1234

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to characterize the microbial community in ground pork using molecular approaches. Forty six ground pork products were purchased from local stores in the north central area of South Korea. Aerobic plate counts varied 4.23 ± 5.14 × 10 5 CFU/g with the range between 5.00 × 10 3 and 1.85 × 10 6 CFU/g for ground pork samples. Four ground meat samples were further processed for metagenomic analysis. Pseudomonas species was the most relative abundant with a wide range occurring (1.72 to 77.7%) as part of the microbial genera in ground pork. Bacteria such as Carnobacterium, Yersinia, Photobacterium were also identified in ground pork. Despite the prominence of certain genera across all samples there was still extensive microbial diversity among ground pork products that originated from different slaughter houses and were processed in different markets. Such diversity indicates that designing interventions to extend shelf life may be hampered by the extensive variability in the microbial consortia associated with pork products. However, this diversity may be useful for developing microbial traceability signatures unique to a slaughter house or a particular market.