Effectiveness of Bioluminescence from Uroteuthis Spp. in Detecting Meat Freshness

Abstract

INTRODUCTION

Meat-borne diseases are still one of the public health concerns attributed to microbial pathogens. From 2012 to 2014, acute viral infection and acute gastroenteritis were among the 10 leading causes of morbidity for all ages. in2012, cases of gastroenteritis peaked at 1,266 in the City of Santa Rosa. The City Health Office I records reported that there had been 376 morbidity cases of infectious gastroenteritis and colitis, unspecified acute bloody diarrhea, acute gastroenteritis, acute watery diarrhea, enteritis, and dysentery in the city's10 barangays. Fourteen recorded cases of these illnesses led to fatal incidents in the same year.

METHODS

This study used bioluminescent bacteria, Vibrio fischeri, obtained from ink samples from three common squid variants from Malabon and cultivated in Tryptone-Yeast Extract Glycerol Seawater Agar. Bacterial colonies from Squid Sample A exhibited the most bioluminescence and were identified as Uroteuthis spp. through morphological and biochemical analyses. Three batches of different meats (pork, poultry, and beef) were exposed to room temperature at different durations: 2, 4, and 8 hours. Tube Bioluminescence Extinction Technology (TuBET) was used, wherein meat samples were dispensed to a luminous bacterial suspension. The elapsed times were documented from initial contact of the meat with the suspension until the inhibition period of bioluminescence.

RESULTS

The TuBET assay summary presented an intuitive decrease in the inhibition period of bioluminescence as the spoilage of meat increased. The sensitivity of the assay proved to be consistent across all meat types. The results were subjected to a correlational analysis to determine the degree of agreement between the reliability of the assay across three meat types. An Analysis of Variance established a significant difference among means of total inhibition periods across differently aged meats. The statistical difference was measured using the Post Hoc Tukey Analysis and showed that each setup had a significant difference from each other.

DISCUSSIONS

Results of the study provided evidence that the spoilage of meat has a strong negative correlation with the inhibition periods of bioluminescence of V. fischeri. The reliability of the TuBET assay is further substantiated by a comparison of regression analysis of spoilage-vs-bioluminescence diagrams across the different types of meats. This proves the reliability of bioluminescence as a bio-indicator of freshness for different meat types.