The spoilage of air-packaged broiler meat during storage at normal and fluctuating storage temperatures

Bacterial diversity and the major flora present on air-packaged broiler meat during storage at normal (4°C) and fluctuating storage temperatures (0-4°C and 4-10°C) were investigated using culture-dependent and culture-independent approaches. Culture-dependent analysis revealed that the growth of microflora was retarded when broiler meat was stored at lower temperatures (0-4°C). Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis profiles showed that Staphylococcus spp., Pseudomonas spp., Acinetobacter spp., Carnobacterium spp., Aeromonas spp., and Weissella spp. were the dominant bacteria throughout all storage conditions. Enterobacteriaceae only appeared in samples subjected to storage with high temperature abuse, whereas Shewanella spp. and Psychrobacter spp. were only detected in samples stored below 4°C. Our results provide evidence that, compared with storage at a standard fixed temperature (4°C), fluctuations in temperatures induce a more complex bacterial diversity in the air-packaged broiler.