Effect of storage temperature on bacterial diversity in chicken skin

Abstract

AIMS: The purpose of this experiment was to study the bacterial diversity and predominance of spoilage bacteria in chicken skin at different storage temperatures (4, 25 and 37°C). METHODS AND RESULTS: The total bacteria in chicken skin were collected, total DNA was extracted by an E. Z. N. A. Bacterial DNA Kit, and the v3-v4 regions of the 16S rDNA gene in the microbiota of the chicken skin were studied using the Illumina Hiseq platform. A total of 91 862 bacterial sequences were obtained for assessing the microbial diversity from chicken skin at three storage temperatures. The results showed that the bacterial diversity in chicken skin at 25°C was the highest, and Pseudomonas was dominant at 4°C, while Acinetobacter and Clostridium were the main flora at 25°C. Clostridium dominated and played a critical role in the chicken skin stored at 37°C. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of temperature on bacterial diversity in chicken skin was significant and the dominant spoilage bacteria were different in chicken skin at different temperatures, which had a strong guiding significance for the control and prediction of micro-organisms in foods. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: The results of this article could provide a theoretical basis for meat products containing chicken skin, including the safe use of chicken skin, determination of sterilization process parameters and selection of preservatives for compounding.