Investigating the relationship between microbial community dynamics and flavor profiles in Korat chicken breast fillets under varied packaging conditions

The dynamics of microbial community changes in Korat chicken (KC) breast meat, an indigenous Thai crossbred, packed under traditional air-overwrapping (Con), vacuum packaging (VP), and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) at 30 % CO₂/70 % N₂ were investigated, as well as their correlation with flavor attributes and acceptability during 12 days of chilled storage. Beta diversity and hierarchical clustering revealed that the microbial communities in VP and MAP were more similar than those in Con. The result suggested that packaging had a greater impact on microbial changes than storage time (p < 0.05). Alpha diversity demonstrated that both oxygen-depleting methods had lower microbial diversity and richness than Con. Two dominant phyla (Proteobacteria and Firmicutes) and nine dominant genera (e.g., Bacillus, Enterococcus) influenced meat flavor quality throughout storage time across packaging methods. The samples showed various rates of changes in flavor-related compounds, including pH, total volatile base nitrogen (TVB-N), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), inosine 5′-monophosphate (IMP), hypoxanthine (Hx), and volatile profiles. IMP and acids significantly enhanced flavor, showing a positive correlation with sensory scores (p < 0.05). In contrast, pH, TVB-N, TBARS, Hx, and aldehydes indicated meat deterioration-related undesirable traits. Proteobacteria, Bacillus, and Lactobacillus had positive correlations with desirable flavor compounds and sensory scores (p < 0.05). On the other hand, Firmicutes, Acinetobacter, and Brochothrix showed the opposite trend. Therefore, this study found that VP and MAP conditions regulated the microbial community, retaining meat flavor and acceptability throughout chilled storage for KC breast meat packaging. Moreover, it could reassure the packaging selection for the global poultry industry.