Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

0009-0005-6586-1498

Advisor

Zhang, Li

Committee Member

Fan, Peixin

Committee Member

Jia, Linan

Date of Degree

8-12-2026

Original embargo terms

Embargo 2 years

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Agriculture (Poultry Science)

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

Department of Poultry Science

Abstract

Microbial spoilage of refrigerated catfish fillets is driven by shifts in spoilage-associated bacterial communities that reduce product quality and shelf life. This study investigated microbial succession in refrigerated catfish fillets using culture-independent sequencing and culturomics-based approaches. Sensory evaluation, muscle pH measurements, and full-length 16S rRNA gene sequencing were used to characterize spoilage progression and microbial community composition during refrigerated storage. Sequencing analysis showed shifts in dominant taxa across storage timepoints, with early prevalence of Pseudomonas followed by increased abundance of Shewanella and Aeromonas during later storage stages. Complementary culturomics analyses confirmed recovery of several spoilage-associated taxa and demonstrated that bacterial recovery patterns were influenced by culture medium composition and incubation temperature. These findings improve understanding of spoilage ecology in refrigerated catfish fillets and demonstrate the complementary value of integrating sequencing and cultivation-based methodologies for studying food-associated microbial communities.

Sponsorship (Optional)

USDA-ARS NACA, USDA NIFA CRIS project

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