FIG 4.

High-resolution snapshot of microbial population dynamics in untreated pork sausage. (A) Total mesophilic APCs, psychrotrophic APCs, and LAB, Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, and generic E. coli were enumerated from untreated pork sausage after thawing and storage at refrigeration temperature for 80 days. The log-transformed data from each treatment group is plotted from each of the 15-day time points taken over the 80-day refrigeration period, and the means and standard deviations of the log-transformed data are plotted at each of the 15-day time points. The pH of the samples is plotted on the second y axis on the right. The light red arrow indicates onset of sour odors, and the red arrow at day 45 marks the onset of a sour, putrid, or spoiled odor that would yield the product objectionable. (B) Relative abundances of taxa of interest from the pyrosequencing data derived from paired untreated pork sausage after thawing and storage at refrigeration temperatures for the same 80-day period.