Abstract: The differential microbial proteins from fresh Tan sheep meat during chilled storage were studied by surface enhanced laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry, and the changes in the dominant bacterial community composition were analyzed by metagenomics. Meanwhile, the correlation between dominant bacteria and differential proteins was examined. The obtained results indicated that the number of Pseudomonas and Brochothrix thermosphacta increased from an initial level of 9.98% and 0% to 33.70% and 23.98% after storage, respectively. They were positively correlated with necrosis-inducing phytophthora protein, MT-ND4L, somatostatin-28, ATP synthase F(0) complex subunit C1 and prion proteins, but negatively correlated with Keratin associated protein 3-1. The number of Escherichia increased from 4.35% to 11.40%, and the number of Lactobacillus increased from 4.02% to 7.54%. They were positively correlated with keratin-associated protein 8-1, antimicrobial peptide and phosphor apolipoprotein C-II, but negatively correlated with growth hormone-releasing hormone, ATP synthase, and apolipoprotein E. An increase in the number of the dominant bacteria corresponded to an increase in the contents of bacterial proteins positively correlated with it, while those negatively correlated with it were gradually degraded, leading to slow growth of the dominant bacteria.

Key words: Tan sheep meat, differential protein, proteomics, metagenomic, dominant bacteria, correlation