Microbiome and resistome successions in pig carcasses and fresh pork meat throughout slaughtering, processing and shelf-life.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Slaughterhouses and meat cutting plants represent potential hotspots for the spread and transfer of spoilage and pathogenic, including antimicrobial resistant, bacteria to meat and meat products. Here, we characterise the progression of the microbiome and resistome of two pork cuts (loin and sirloin) at different stages of processing, from the slaughter line to the end of shelf-life. To this end, we analysed samples from facility surfaces, carcasses, and meat cuts using whole metagenome sequencing.

Results

The taxonomic and antimicrobial resistance gene (ARG) profiles of carcasses and meat cuts were significantly influenced by the point of sampling and the processing room. The facility surfaces were found to be the main source of some abundant genera, such as Anox

SUBMITTER: Fernandez-Trapote E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12908266 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature