Study of spoilage microbiota and shelf-life of primary cuts of meat by metagenomic and predictive modeling tools

• Grant number: 19/20287-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): October 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): September 30, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry
• Principal Investigator: Anderson de Souza Sant'Ana
• Grantee: Magdevis Yanet Rodríguez Caturla
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia de Alimentos (FEA). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 17/26667-2 - Beef quality in Bos indicus cattle: biological markers for meat attributes in different ultimate pH ranges, AP.TEM

Abstract

Brazil is a major exporter of beef worldwide and currently has the world's second largest commercial herd around 219 million head of cattle. Brazil meat exports account for 26% of its total production. Currently, one of the main objectives and challenges of the meat industry in Brazil is the preservation of the sensory and microbiological quality of the product. Therefore it is evident the need to study the spoilage microbiota of beef and to evaluate the causes and conditions that favor the deterioration process. Such understanding is fundamental for effective measures to be adopted to reduce the economic losses associated with this phenomenon. For this purpose, it is proposed to study, through culture-dependent methods, the microbiota responsible for the deterioration of different primary cuts (Longissimus dorsi, Psoas major, Gluteus medius) with different final pH ranges between 5.4 to> 6.1. , stored at temperatures between 0 ° C and 10 ° C. Along with microbiological analyzes, independent cultivation methods such as sequencing of the 16 S rDNA region will be used for identification at the species, family or order level of the populations responsible for the deterioration of the product. Along with this analysis, predictive modeling will be used to quantify microbial growth under different environmental conditions, and to describe the effect of bad significant factors on growth. Considering Brazil's worldwide performance in the meat production and marketing scenario, this study will be developed to obtain scientific data that explain the conditions that favor the deterioration of beef, through methods dependent on cultivation and metagenomics. In addition, it aims to prepare reports, coordinate the research team, and write articles related to the project.