Evaluation of the bacterial diversity and its evolution during storage of fresh beef from British and Belgian origins under different atmosphere and temperature conditions

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bacterial diversity and its evolution during storage of fresh beef, depending on its origin, packaging and storage temperature, by using a metagenomic approach. Metagenomic analyzes revealed that the origin, atmosphere and temperature conditions influenced the selection of the predominant flora. Vacuum-packaged British samples presented higher concentrations of Lactobacillus algidus at the begging of the experiment than Belgian samples. Furthermore, the development of Lactobacillus algidus was favored in British and Belgian samples preserved under vacuum at −1 °C, while a predominance of Lactococcus piscium was observed for samples stored at +4 °C. These microorganisms have already been isolated from beef, but taking into account that the knowledge about these two species is currently limited, it is still not possible to state if the conservability of the tested samples was influenced by the presence of these bacteria.
Moreover, storage under modified atmosphere favored the development of Leuconostoc gasicomitatum in both British and Belgian samples. This specie is often associated with spoilage of cold-stored modified-atmosphere-packaged (MAP) nutrient-rich foods. This result can partially explain the short shelf-life of the samples once they are stored under this condition. Metagenomics showed to be a useful tool to study the microbial population of a complex matrix since some of the identified genera could not have grown or have grown slowly in culture media commonly used. In addition, it helped to clarify the evolution of the bacterial ecosystem associated to meat during its storage.