Lin Zhixin, Zhou Xinchen, Lu Tingting, An Wendong, Chen Shenghao, Li Suchen, Miao Hui, Han Xinyan
Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in East China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China.
Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City, Hainan Institute, Zhejiang University, Sanya, 572025, China.
J Anim Sci Biotechnol. 2025 Jul 2;16(1):93. doi: 10.1186/s40104-025-01229-2.
Pork quality and flavor are critical determinants of consumer preference, yet the role of gut microbiota in shaping meat characteristics remains underexplored. In this study, we investigated how a probiotic consortium (FAM: Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis) modulates the gut-muscle axis to enhance pork flavor.
In finishing pigs, FAM supplementation significantly increased flavor-associated nucleotides and umami-enhancing amino acids in longissimus dorsi muscle. Metagenomic analysis revealed FAM-driven enrichment of glycan-degrading Prevotella and short-chain fatty acid-producing Phascolarctobacterium, accompanied by reduced antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors. Spearman correlation linked Prevotella copri abundance with elevated muscle amino acids, suggesting microbial-encoded CAZymes as key mediators.
This study provides the first evidence that probiotic-induced gut microbiota remodeling enhances pork flavor through metabolic cross-talk along the gut-muscle axis. The findings suggest a novel strategy for improving pork quality via dietary interventions targeting gut microbiota.
猪肉品质和风味是消费者偏好的关键决定因素，但肠道微生物群在塑造肉质特性方面的作用仍未得到充分探索。在本研究中，我们调查了益生菌组合（FAM：嗜酸乳杆菌和枯草芽孢杆菌）如何调节肠道-肌肉轴以增强猪肉风味。
在育肥猪中，补充FAM显著增加了背最长肌中与风味相关的核苷酸和增强鲜味的氨基酸。宏基因组分析显示，FAM驱动聚糖降解普雷沃氏菌和产生短链脂肪酸的考拉杆菌富集，同时抗生素抗性基因和毒力因子减少。斯皮尔曼相关性将副干酪普雷沃氏菌的丰度与肌肉氨基酸升高联系起来，表明微生物编码的碳水化合物活性酶是关键介质。
本研究提供了首个证据，即益生菌诱导的肠道微生物群重塑通过沿肠道-肌肉轴的代谢串扰增强猪肉风味。这些发现提示了一种通过针对肠道微生物群的饮食干预来改善猪肉品质的新策略。
