Co-cultivation of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis mediates the gut-muscle axis affecting pork quality and flavor
Abstract Background Pork quality and flavor are critical determinants of consumer preference, yet the role of gut microbiota in shaping meat characteristics remains underexplored. In this study, we investigated how a probiotic consortium (FAM: Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis) modulat...
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| Language: | English |
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-025-01229-2 |
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| author | Zhixin Lin Xinchen Zhou Tingting Lu Wendong An Shenghao Chen Suchen Li Hui Miao Xinyan Han |
| author_facet | Zhixin Lin Xinchen Zhou Tingting Lu Wendong An Shenghao Chen Suchen Li Hui Miao Xinyan Han |
| author_sort | Zhixin Lin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Pork quality and flavor are critical determinants of consumer preference, yet the role of gut microbiota in shaping meat characteristics remains underexplored. In this study, we investigated how a probiotic consortium (FAM: Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis) modulates the gut-muscle axis to enhance pork flavor. Results In finishing pigs, FAM supplementation significantly increased flavor-associated nucleotides and umami-enhancing amino acids in longissimus dorsi muscle. Metagenomic analysis revealed FAM-driven enrichment of glycan-degrading Prevotella and short-chain fatty acid-producing Phascolarctobacterium, accompanied by reduced antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors. Spearman correlation linked Prevotella copri abundance with elevated muscle amino acids, suggesting microbial-encoded CAZymes as key mediators. Conclusions This study provides the first evidence that probiotic-induced gut microbiota remodeling enhances pork flavor through metabolic cross-talk along the gut-muscle axis. The findings suggest a novel strategy for improving pork quality via dietary interventions targeting gut microbiota. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ffd2bf9b6cb84457b7a08aeaec382167 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2049-1891 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology |
| spelling | doaj-art-ffd2bf9b6cb84457b7a08aeaec3821672025-08-20T03:03:41ZengBMCJournal of Animal Science and Biotechnology2049-18912025-07-0116111710.1186/s40104-025-01229-2Co-cultivation of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis mediates the gut-muscle axis affecting pork quality and flavorZhixin Lin0Xinchen Zhou1Tingting Lu2Wendong An3Shenghao Chen4Suchen Li5Hui Miao6Xinyan Han7Key Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in East China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science, Zhejiang UniversityKey Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in East China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science, Zhejiang UniversityKey Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in East China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science, Zhejiang UniversityKey Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in East China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science, Zhejiang UniversityKey Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in East China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science, Zhejiang UniversityKey Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in East China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science, Zhejiang UniversityKey Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in East China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science, Zhejiang UniversityKey Laboratory of Animal Nutrition and Feed Science in East China, Ministry of Agriculture, College of Animal Science, Zhejiang UniversityAbstract Background Pork quality and flavor are critical determinants of consumer preference, yet the role of gut microbiota in shaping meat characteristics remains underexplored. In this study, we investigated how a probiotic consortium (FAM: Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis) modulates the gut-muscle axis to enhance pork flavor. Results In finishing pigs, FAM supplementation significantly increased flavor-associated nucleotides and umami-enhancing amino acids in longissimus dorsi muscle. Metagenomic analysis revealed FAM-driven enrichment of glycan-degrading Prevotella and short-chain fatty acid-producing Phascolarctobacterium, accompanied by reduced antibiotic resistance genes and virulence factors. Spearman correlation linked Prevotella copri abundance with elevated muscle amino acids, suggesting microbial-encoded CAZymes as key mediators. Conclusions This study provides the first evidence that probiotic-induced gut microbiota remodeling enhances pork flavor through metabolic cross-talk along the gut-muscle axis. The findings suggest a novel strategy for improving pork quality via dietary interventions targeting gut microbiota.https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-025-01229-2Gut-muscle axisMetagenomePork flavorPork qualityProbiotic |
| spellingShingle | Zhixin Lin Xinchen Zhou Tingting Lu Wendong An Shenghao Chen Suchen Li Hui Miao Xinyan Han Co-cultivation of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis mediates the gut-muscle axis affecting pork quality and flavor Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology Gut-muscle axis Metagenome Pork flavor Pork quality Probiotic |
| title | Co-cultivation of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis mediates the gut-muscle axis affecting pork quality and flavor |
| title_full | Co-cultivation of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis mediates the gut-muscle axis affecting pork quality and flavor |
| title_fullStr | Co-cultivation of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis mediates the gut-muscle axis affecting pork quality and flavor |
| title_full_unstemmed | Co-cultivation of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis mediates the gut-muscle axis affecting pork quality and flavor |
| title_short | Co-cultivation of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis mediates the gut-muscle axis affecting pork quality and flavor |
| title_sort | co cultivation of lactobacillus acidophilus and bacillus subtilis mediates the gut muscle axis affecting pork quality and flavor |
| topic | Gut-muscle axis Metagenome Pork flavor Pork quality Probiotic |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s40104-025-01229-2 |
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