Study on the impact of Hfq regulation on spoilage odor formation by Pantoea agglomerans inoculated onto chilled chicken meat.

To investigate the impact of Pantoea agglomerans on chicken meat spoilage and the regulatory role of Hfq, wild-type and ΔHfq strains were inoculated onto chilled chicken meat. Microbial and physicochemical properties were monitored at 4 °C over 0, 1, 3, 5, and 7 days. Parameters assessed included microbial analysis, pH, total volatile basic nitrogen, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, texture, electronic nose and electronic tongue. Additionally, spoilage compounds were analyzed using headspace-gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry and headspace-solid-phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Partial correlations between these indicators were analyzed. The results showed that the WT strain exhibited faster proliferation during the middle storage stage and induced greater increases in pH, TVB-N, TBARS, and spoilage-related compounds, alongside more severe texture degradation and stronger spoilage odors. In contrast, the ΔHfq strain caused milder changes. The findings suggest that P. agglomerans is linked to accelerated spoilage, with Hfq potentially correlating with this process under the present model.