Abstract
In this study, the microbial community succession and the protein hydrolysis of donkey meat during refrigerated (4°C) storage were investigated. 16S rDNA sequencing method was used to analyze the bacteria community structure and succession in the level of genome. Meanwhile, the volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N) was measured to evaluate the degradation level of protein. After sorting out the sequencing results, 1,274,604 clean data were obtained, which were clustered into 2,064 into operational taxonomic units (OTUs), annotated to 32 phyla and 527 genus. With the prolonging of storage time, the composition of microorganism changed greatly. At the same time, the diversity and richness of microorganism decreased and then increased. During the whole storage period, Proteobacteria was the dominant phyla, and the Photobacterium, Pseudompnas, and Acinetobacter were the dominant genus. According to correlation analysis, it was found that the abundance of these dominant bacteria was significantly positively correlated with the variation of TVB-N. And Pseudomonas might play an important role in the production of TVB-N during refrigerated storage of donkey meat. The predicted metabolic pathways, based on PICRUSt analysis, indicated that amino metabolism in refrigerated donkey meat was the main metabolic pathways. This study provides insight into the process involved in refrigerated donkey meat spoilage, which provides a foundation for the development of antibacterial preservative for donkey meat.