The Microbiome Characterization of Edible Visceral Organs and Fresh Meat During Production in a Pig Processing Facility in Thailand

Besides meat, pig organs are traditionally consumed in Asia. However, they can be a source of food poisoning. Less is known about the microbiome associated with different organ meats and the inter-animal variation in the microbiomes of organs. The aim of this pilot study was to characterize and comp...

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Main Authors: Jutamat Klinsoda, Alongkot Boonsoongnern, Narut Thanantong, Tanyanant Kaminsonsakul, Khemmapas Treesuwan, Sudsai Trevanich, Barbara U. Metzler-Zebeli
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Pathogens
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/5/475
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author Jutamat Klinsoda
Alongkot Boonsoongnern
Narut Thanantong
Tanyanant Kaminsonsakul
Khemmapas Treesuwan
Sudsai Trevanich
Barbara U. Metzler-Zebeli
author_facet Jutamat Klinsoda
Alongkot Boonsoongnern
Narut Thanantong
Tanyanant Kaminsonsakul
Khemmapas Treesuwan
Sudsai Trevanich
Barbara U. Metzler-Zebeli
author_sort Jutamat Klinsoda
collection DOAJ
description Besides meat, pig organs are traditionally consumed in Asia. However, they can be a source of food poisoning. Less is known about the microbiome associated with different organ meats and the inter-animal variation in the microbiomes of organs. The aim of this pilot study was to characterize and compare the bacterial composition in fresh pig meat and organs (i.e., tonsils, lungs, and spleen) and blood from several carcasses using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing as a screening method. We also investigated how closely the bacterial composition of the meat and organ samples was related to the gut bacterial community and the bacterial communities on the hands of the workers at different positions during meat processing. Meat, organ, blood, and gut (cecum and feces) samples were collected from 12 carcasses in two batches (<i>n</i> = 6/batch), along with swab samples (<i>n</i> = 4/batch) from the hands of the workers at different positions along the processing chain, from which DNA was extracted. The results for the bacterial diversity showed that each sample type (meat, organ, and blood) comprised a unique taxonomic composition (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Moreover, the data confirmed great inter-animal and batch variation for the meat, organs, and blood, which is helpful information for implementing strategies to enhance hygiene measures at pig farms and slaughterhouses, and hence food safety and quality. The genera associated with food safety and spoilage, such as <i>Anoxybacillus</i>, <i>Acinetobacter</i>, <i>Pseudomonas</i>, <i>Campylobacter</i>, and <i>Streptococcus</i>, were also different between the meat, organs, and blood. The bacterial communities in the gut samples distinctly clustered from communities in the pig organs and meat, whereas some overlaps in community clusters between lung, meat, and hand samples existed. This study demonstrates that the spleen, tonsils, and lungs contained more bacterial genera that comprise pathogenic strains than meat cuts, supporting the need to monitor their microbiome composition as potential contamination sources for food safety and spoilage reasons.
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spelling doaj-art-12cd895207d64b5498feac0d8d008a492025-08-20T01:56:44ZengMDPI AGPathogens2076-08172025-05-0114547510.3390/pathogens14050475The Microbiome Characterization of Edible Visceral Organs and Fresh Meat During Production in a Pig Processing Facility in ThailandJutamat Klinsoda0Alongkot Boonsoongnern1Narut Thanantong2Tanyanant Kaminsonsakul3Khemmapas Treesuwan4Sudsai Trevanich5Barbara U. Metzler-Zebeli6Institute of Food Research and Product Development, University of Kasetsart, Bangkok 10900, ThailandDepartment of Farm Resources and Production Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Kasetsart Kamphaeng Saen, Nakhon Pathom 73140, ThailandDepartment of Farm Resources and Production Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Kasetsart Kamphaeng Saen, Nakhon Pathom 73140, ThailandDepartment of Farm Resources and Production Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Kasetsart Kamphaeng Saen, Nakhon Pathom 73140, ThailandInstitute of Food Research and Product Development, University of Kasetsart, Bangkok 10900, ThailandDepartment of Food Science and Technology, Faculty of Agro-Industry, University of Kasetsart, Bangkok 10900, ThailandCentre for Veterinary Systems Transformation and Sustainability, Clinical Department for Farm Animals and Food System Science, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, 1210 Vienna, AustriaBesides meat, pig organs are traditionally consumed in Asia. However, they can be a source of food poisoning. Less is known about the microbiome associated with different organ meats and the inter-animal variation in the microbiomes of organs. The aim of this pilot study was to characterize and compare the bacterial composition in fresh pig meat and organs (i.e., tonsils, lungs, and spleen) and blood from several carcasses using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing as a screening method. We also investigated how closely the bacterial composition of the meat and organ samples was related to the gut bacterial community and the bacterial communities on the hands of the workers at different positions during meat processing. Meat, organ, blood, and gut (cecum and feces) samples were collected from 12 carcasses in two batches (<i>n</i> = 6/batch), along with swab samples (<i>n</i> = 4/batch) from the hands of the workers at different positions along the processing chain, from which DNA was extracted. The results for the bacterial diversity showed that each sample type (meat, organ, and blood) comprised a unique taxonomic composition (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Moreover, the data confirmed great inter-animal and batch variation for the meat, organs, and blood, which is helpful information for implementing strategies to enhance hygiene measures at pig farms and slaughterhouses, and hence food safety and quality. The genera associated with food safety and spoilage, such as <i>Anoxybacillus</i>, <i>Acinetobacter</i>, <i>Pseudomonas</i>, <i>Campylobacter</i>, and <i>Streptococcus</i>, were also different between the meat, organs, and blood. The bacterial communities in the gut samples distinctly clustered from communities in the pig organs and meat, whereas some overlaps in community clusters between lung, meat, and hand samples existed. This study demonstrates that the spleen, tonsils, and lungs contained more bacterial genera that comprise pathogenic strains than meat cuts, supporting the need to monitor their microbiome composition as potential contamination sources for food safety and spoilage reasons.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/5/475microbiomepigvisceral organsslaughterhouseporkbacterial transmission
spellingShingle Jutamat Klinsoda
Alongkot Boonsoongnern
Narut Thanantong
Tanyanant Kaminsonsakul
Khemmapas Treesuwan
Sudsai Trevanich
Barbara U. Metzler-Zebeli
The Microbiome Characterization of Edible Visceral Organs and Fresh Meat During Production in a Pig Processing Facility in Thailand
Pathogens
microbiome
pig
visceral organs
slaughterhouse
pork
bacterial transmission
title The Microbiome Characterization of Edible Visceral Organs and Fresh Meat During Production in a Pig Processing Facility in Thailand
title_full The Microbiome Characterization of Edible Visceral Organs and Fresh Meat During Production in a Pig Processing Facility in Thailand
title_fullStr The Microbiome Characterization of Edible Visceral Organs and Fresh Meat During Production in a Pig Processing Facility in Thailand
title_full_unstemmed The Microbiome Characterization of Edible Visceral Organs and Fresh Meat During Production in a Pig Processing Facility in Thailand
title_short The Microbiome Characterization of Edible Visceral Organs and Fresh Meat During Production in a Pig Processing Facility in Thailand
title_sort microbiome characterization of edible visceral organs and fresh meat during production in a pig processing facility in thailand
topic microbiome
pig
visceral organs
slaughterhouse
pork
bacterial transmission
url https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0817/14/5/475
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