Roch Franz-Ferdinand, Dzieciol Monika, Strachan Cameron R, Chaughtai Muhammad Sharjeel, Quijada Narciso M, Movsesijan Tea, Selberherr Evelyne
Clinical Department for Farm Animals and Food System Science, Center for Food Science and Veterinary Public Health, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria.
Austrian Competence Centre for Feed and Food Quality, Safety and Innovation, FFoQSI GmbH, Tulln an der Donau, Austria.
NPJ Sci Food. 2025 Jun 18;9(1):105. doi: 10.1038/s41538-025-00479-8.
The microbial dynamics of vacuum-packed (VP) beef are shaped by interactions between bacterial and fungal communities, influencing spoilage and meat quality during storage. While bacterial succession is well studied, fungal roles remain underexplored. We examined microbial communities in VP beef over 85 days using spike-in, qPCR, 16S/18S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, culture-based methods, whole genome sequencing, and co-culture experiments. Initially dominated by Pseudomonas and Brochothrix, the bacterial community shifted toward lactic acid bacteria (LAB) by day 15. Fungal communities remained diverse, with Kurtzmaniella, Barnettozyma, Debaryomyces, and Yarrowia as key genera. Co-culture experiments revealed a triangular interaction: yeasts enhanced LAB, LAB inhibited Enterobacterales, and Enterobacterales suppressed yeasts. Genomic analyses suggest yeast metabolites support LAB, LAB inhibit via acids and bacteriocins, and Enterobacterales produce fungal cell wall-degrading enzymes. These findings highlight fungi's overlooked role and the importance of inter-kingdom interactions in meat microbiomes, offering a foundation for strategies to improve meat safety and shelf life.
真空包装（VP）牛肉的微生物动态受细菌和真菌群落之间相互作用的影响，在储存过程中影响肉类变质和肉质。虽然对细菌演替已有充分研究，但真菌的作用仍未得到充分探索。我们使用加标、定量聚合酶链反应（qPCR）、16S/18S核糖体RNA（rRNA）基因扩增子测序、基于培养的方法、全基因组测序和共培养实验，对VP牛肉在85天内的微生物群落进行了研究。细菌群落最初以假单胞菌属和热杀索丝菌为主，到第15天向乳酸菌（LAB）转变。真菌群落保持多样，库尔茨曼酵母属、巴内托酶属、德巴利酵母属和耶氏酵母属为关键属。共培养实验揭示了一种三角相互作用：酵母增强LAB，LAB抑制肠杆菌目，肠杆菌目抑制酵母。基因组分析表明，酵母代谢物支持LAB，LAB通过酸和细菌素进行抑制，而肠杆菌目产生真菌细胞壁降解酶。这些发现突出了真菌被忽视的作用以及跨王国相互作用在肉类微生物群中的重要性，为改善肉类安全性和保质期的策略提供了基础。
