Co-Occurrence of Listeria spp. and Spoilage Associated Microbiota During Meat Processing Due to Cross-Contamination Events

• Published in: Frontiers in microbiology Vol. 12; p. 632935
• Main Authors: Zwirzitz, Benjamin, Wetzels, Stefanie U, Dixon, Emmanuel D, Fleischmann, Svenja, Selberherr, Evelyne, Thalguter, Sarah, Quijada, Narciso M, Dzieciol, Monika, Wagner, Martin, Stessl, Beatrix
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland Frontiers Media S.A 05.02.2021
• Subjects: Listeria monocytogenes; meat processing; microbial communities; Microbiology; microbiome; spoilage; Listeria monocytogenes; meat processing; microbial communities; microbiome; spoilage
• ISSN: 1664-302X; 1664-302X
• DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.632935

A large part of foodborne outbreaks related to are linked to meat and meat products. Especially, recontamination of meat products and deli-meat during slicing, packaging, and repackaging is in the focus of food authorities. In that regard, persistence in multi-species biofilms is one major issue, since they survive elaborate cleaning and disinfection measures. Here, we analyzed the microbial community structure throughout a meat processing facility using a combination of high-throughput full-length 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene sequencing and traditional microbiological methods. Samples were taken at different stages during meat cutting as well as from multiple sites throughout the facility environment to capture the product and the environmental associated microbiota co-occurring with spp. and . The listeria testing revealed a widely disseminated contamination (50%; 88 of 176 samples were positive for spp. and 13.6%; 24 of 176 samples were positive for ). The pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing evidenced 14 heterogeneous profiles with PCR-serogroup 1/2a, 3a as most dominant. PFGE type MA3-17 contributed to the resilient microbiota of the facility environment and was related to environmental persistence. The core in-house microbiota consisted mainly of the genera , , ( ), , ( ), and ( ). While the overall microbial community structure clearly differed between product and environmental samples, we were able to discern correlation patterns regarding the presence/absence of spp. in both sample groups. Specifically, our longitudinal analysis revealed association of spp. with known biofilm-producing , , and species on the meat samples. Similar patterns were also observed on the surface, indicating dispersal of microorganisms from this multispecies biofilm. Our data provided a better understanding of the built environment microbiome in the meat processing context and promoted more effective options for targeted disinfection in the analyzed facility.