Changes in Muscle Quality and Gut Microbiota of Whiteleg Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) Within a Live Supply Chain

Abstract

During farm-to-consumer transport, a live supply chain can aid in maintaining the quality of whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). However, the changes in muscle quality and gut microbiota of shrimp in the live supply chain and their interactions are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the dynamics of cumulative survival, muscle quality, and gut microbiota in the key phases of the live shrimp supply chain: post-harvest, post-transport, post-respite, and simulated sales [ambient temperature (AT; 29 °C ± 0.3 °C); low temperature (LT; 23 °C ± 0.3 °C)]. The results suggest that among the various stages, the highest mortality (12%) occurred after transport, while the respite process was associated with enhanced gut-mediated stress resilience. Notably, the transport, 24 h sales, and 40 h sales stages were identified as three potential critical control points. Furthermore, the LT group exhibited an 8% higher survival rate, better quality parameters (34.9% higher hardness), increased abundance of Bacteroidetes (from 3.63% to 7.39%), and a reduced F: B ratio. Correlation analysis identified Xanthomonadales and Oscillospirales as potential biomarkers for maintaining quality, positively linked to survival, muscle hardness, and brightness. Our findings provide valuable insights into optimizing control strategies and microbial biomarkers for enhancing muscle quality in live supply chains and aquaculture.

Keywords: Penaeus vannamei; biomarker; gut microbiota; live supply chain; low temperature; muscle quality; stress response.

Figure 1

Schematic diagram of the entire post-harvest supply chain for live shrimps. Harvested shrimps are transported, given a respite, randomly assigned, and then allowed to enter to the sales phase. Red dots indicate sampling time points. PH: post-harvest; PT: post-transport; PR: post-respite; S0, S8, S16, S24, S32, S40, and S48: different time points in the simulation of the sales stage, which are 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, and 48 h respectively; AT: ambient temperature; LT: low temperature.

Figure 2

Cumulative survival rate of shrimps (A), and pH (B), lactate content (C), and TBARSs (D) in muscle. PH: post-harvest; PT: post-transport; PR: post-respite; S0, S8, S16, S24, S32, S40, S48: different time points in the simulation of the sales stage, which are 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, and 48 h, respectively; AT: ambient temperature; LT: low temperature. Within-group differences are indicated by letters: upper case for LT and lower case for AT. Between-group differences are denoted by asterisks: * for p < 0.05, ** for p < 0.01, and *** for p < 0.001.

Figure 3

L* (luminance) value (A), a* (red-green) value (B), b* (yellow-blue) value, (C), ΔE* (total color difference) value (D), hardness (E), gumminess (F), chewiness (G), and springiness (H) in shrimp muscle. PH: post-harvest; PT: post-transport; PR: post-respite; S0, S8, S16, S24, S32, S40, S48: different time points in the simulation of the sales stage, which are 0, 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, and 48 h, respectively; AT: ambient temperature; LT: low temperature. Within-group differences are indicated by letters: upper case for LT and lower case for AT. Between-group differences are denoted by asterisks: * for p < 0.05, ** for p < 0.01, and *** for p < 0.001.

Figure 4

Diversity, species composition, and differential analysis of the intestinal bacterial community. Alpha diversity of gut microbiota evaluated by Chao 1 (A) and Simpson (B). PCA (C) was performed to compare gut microbial communities among all groups. Relative abundance of top 10 bacterial phyla (D) were determined based on 16S rRNA sequencing. Venn analysis of OTUs. (E). Evolutionary branching plot (F) and LDA score plot (G) for LEfSe analysis. PH: post-harvest; PT: post-transport; PR: post-respite; LT0, LT24, and LT48: 0, 24, and 48 h, respectively, in LT group; AT0, AT24, and AT48: 0, 24, and 48 h, respectively, in AT group. Different letters represent significant differences between groups (p < 0.05).

Figure 5

PCA plot (A) illustrating overall differences in predicted KEGG pathways among groups; t-test plots ((B): PT vs. PH; (C): PR vs. PT; (D): AT vs. LT) indicating significantly different pathways based on PICRUSt2 predictions of shrimp gut microbiota.. PH: post-harvest; PT: post-transport; PR: post-respite; LT0, LT24, and LT48: 0, 24, and 48 h, respectively, in AT group; AT0, AT24, and AT48: 0, 24, and 48 h, respectively, in AT group. ** indicates a significant correlation at the 0.01 level, * indicates significant correlation at the 0.05 level.

Figure 6

Correlation analysis between differential species in the LT group, differential pathways, and phenotypic indices. Numbers on lower left represent the corresponding correlation coefficients, while upper right indicates statistical significance. *** indicates significant correlation at the 0.001 level; ** indicates a significant correlation at the 0.01 level; * indicates significant correlation at the 0.05 level.