Spatiotemporal Distribution of Microbiota During Fresh Pork Processing

Conversion of living muscle tissue into safe, high-quality fresh meat is a complex process. Meat safety and quality are influenced by many factors, including the growth and development of market pigs, their transport to processing facilities, and the subsequent harvesting and carcass chilling processes. Additionally, many processing steps rely on a combination of automation, specialized equipment, and human interaction to produce a quality meat product for consumers. Throughout the fresh pork supply chain, interactions between the animal, carcass, meat, and processing environment shape the composition and diversity of the microbiota associated with meat. Recent advances in genomic tools, such as shotgun metagenomics and 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, have provided valuable insights into microbial community dynamics at different stages of processing. This review highlights the spatiotemporal dynamics of the microbiota throughout the fresh pork supply chain, with a particular focus on key processes such as harvest, evisceration, and fabrication of fresh pork.