Effects of storage methods on the microbial community and quality of Sichuan smoked bacon

Abstract

This study examined the storage of smoked bacon. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and single-molecule real-time DNA sequencing technology (SMRT) were used to quantitate volatile constituents and microbial communities. The results indicated that the quality of bacon and its volatile constituents at room temperature are higher than those stored at 4 °C (P < 0.05). The bacterial abundance of smoked bacon in the H group that were hung from a beam at room temperature was higher than those of the L group, which were packaged under vacuum conditions and stored at 4 °C. The fungal diversity was lower in the H group than in the L group. Staphylococcus equorum was the most prominent bacterial species in the two groups, while both the fungal species Candida zeylanoides and Debaryomyces prosopidis were in all groups of smoked bacon. Pearson correlation coefficients indicated that Staphylococcus equorum positively correlated with heptanal in both groups. Lactobacillus sakei was positively (P < 0.01) related to heptanal in refrigeration, and Debaryomyces prosopidis positively correlated with hexanal in both groups. This study should help to improve the quality of meat by mediating microbial communities in Sichuan smoked bacon.