TY - JOUR

T1 - Bacterial species diversity of traditionally ripened sheep legs from the Faroe Islands (skerpikjøt)

AU - Charmpi, Christina

AU - Thamsborg, Kristian Key Milan

AU - Mikalsen, Svein Ole

AU - Magnussen, Eyðfinn

AU - Sosa Fajardo, Ana

AU - Van der Veken, David

AU - Leisner, Jørgen J.

AU - Leroy, Frédéric

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

PY - 2023

Y1 - 2023

N2 - Skerpikjøt is a traditionally ripened sheep leg product from the Faroe Islands, constituting a relatively underexplored microbial ecosystem. The objective of this study is to achieve a deeper understanding of the microbial composition of this artisanal product. Nine ripened hind legs, obtained from three different producers, were assessed regarding their bacterial communities and contents of biogenic amines, including both surface and core samples. Biogenic amine concentrations were generally low, although one sample had a somewhat elevated concentration of cadaverine. Bacterial diversity was investigated by culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques. Gram-positive catalase-positive cocci (GCC) constituted the most abundant group. Within this group, Staphylococcus equorum was the most prevailing species, followed by Kocuria sp., Mammaliicoccus vitulinus, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. Lactic acid bacteria prevailed in only one sample and were mainly represented by Latilactobacillus curvatus. Enterobacterial communities were characterised by the prevalence of Serratia proteamaculans. Despite the majority of GCC, Clostridium putrefaciens was the most abundant bacterial species in some core samples. Taken together, the culture-dependent and culture-independent identification methods gave complementary results.

AB - Skerpikjøt is a traditionally ripened sheep leg product from the Faroe Islands, constituting a relatively underexplored microbial ecosystem. The objective of this study is to achieve a deeper understanding of the microbial composition of this artisanal product. Nine ripened hind legs, obtained from three different producers, were assessed regarding their bacterial communities and contents of biogenic amines, including both surface and core samples. Biogenic amine concentrations were generally low, although one sample had a somewhat elevated concentration of cadaverine. Bacterial diversity was investigated by culture-dependent and culture-independent techniques. Gram-positive catalase-positive cocci (GCC) constituted the most abundant group. Within this group, Staphylococcus equorum was the most prevailing species, followed by Kocuria sp., Mammaliicoccus vitulinus, and Staphylococcus saprophyticus. Lactic acid bacteria prevailed in only one sample and were mainly represented by Latilactobacillus curvatus. Enterobacterial communities were characterised by the prevalence of Serratia proteamaculans. Despite the majority of GCC, Clostridium putrefaciens was the most abundant bacterial species in some core samples. Taken together, the culture-dependent and culture-independent identification methods gave complementary results.

KW - (GTG)-PCR fingerprinting

KW - Amplicon-based sequencing

KW - Biogenic amines

KW - Meat

KW - Sheep

KW - skerpikjøt

KW - Traditional food

U2 - 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2022.110023

DO - 10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2022.110023

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 36463775

AN - SCOPUS:85143339953

VL - 386

JO - International Journal of Food Microbiology

JF - International Journal of Food Microbiology

SN - 0168-1605

M1 - 110023

ER -