Characterization of bacterial communities in Coregonus peled fillets during chilled storage and interactions between selected bacterial strains

Aim Coregonus peled fillets were used as a model to evaluate the dominant bacterial growth of chilled fish during storage after shipping and interactions of selected bacterial strains. Methods and Results Coregonus peled fillets were transported by air and land in ice boxes about 48 h from aquatic products company in Xinjiang, China, to the laboratory located in Dalian, China. Both culture‐dependent (plate counts on nonselective media) based on 16S rRNA gene sequencing and culture‐independent (Illumina‐MiSeq high‐throughput sequencing) methods were used. To detect interactions among bacterial populations from chilled fish, the influence of 18 test strains on the growth of 12 indicator isolates was measured by a drop assay and in liquid culture medium broth. The results showed that bacterial counts exceeded 7.0 log CFU/g following storage for 4 days at 4 °C. When the bacterial counts exceeded 8.5 log CFU/g after 12 days, the predominant micro‐organisms were Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Carnobacterium, Psychrobacter and Shewanella, as measured by the culture‐independent method. All test strains showed inhibiting effects on the growth of other strains in liquid culture. Pseudomonas isolates showed antibacterial activity for approximately 60% of the indicator strains on nutritional agar plates. The majority of test isolates enhancing indicator strain growth were the strains isolated on day 0. Conclusions High‐throughput sequencing approach gives whole picture of bacterial communities in chilled C. peled fillets during storage, while growth interferences between selected bacterial strains illustrate the complexity of microbial interactions. Significance and Impact of the Study We determined the bacterial communities and growth interferences in chilled Coregonus peled after shipping and these are the first data concerning microbiota in C. peled using a culture‐independent analysis. The present study will be useful for manufacture and preservation of C. peled products by providing with valuable information regarding microbiological spoilage of C. peled.