Abstract: Objective: To evaluate variations in the bacterial community composition of Lateolabrax japonicas during storage with different ice treatments and to determine its correlation with quality attributes. Methods: The fish were treated with slurry ice (SI), acidic electrolyzed water ice (AEWI) or crushed ice (CI). Total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) content and K values (freshness index) were measured during ice storage. The structure and metabolic function of the bacterial community were also analyzed by using high-throughput sequencing. Results: SI and AEWI could maintain the quality of fish with the former being more effective in inhibiting the degradation rate of protein and nucleotide. The relative abundance of Bacillus, Lactococcus and Oceanobacillus in the CI and AEWI groups were much higher than in the SI group at the early stage of storage (0–3 d). During the middle to late periods of storage (12–21 d), the relative abundance of Pseudomonas, Shewanella, Moritella, Escherichia and Aliivibrio in the SI group increased rapidly; in the AEWI group, Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter gradually became dominant; the relative abundance of Acinetobacter as the dominant spoilage bacteria was up to 27.77% in the CI group on the 21st day. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) showed that ice storage and storage time had a significant influence on the bacterial community composition of Lateolabrax japonicus. Pseudomonas, Acinetobacter, Psychrobacter and Shewanella were positively correlated with TVB-N contents and K values , which may be the specific spoilage organisms of Lateolabrax japonicas during ice storage. The relative abundance of genes related to amino acid, lipid and carbohydrate metabolism in the AEWI and CI group were greatly higher than in the SI group. This may partially explain why SI could delay spoilage at the level of bacterial metabolism. This study provides a theoretical basis for optimizing the preservation and storage of Lateolabrax japonicas by microbial inhibition.

Key words: Lateolabrax japonicus, ice treatment, high-throughput sequencing, bacterial community, metabolic function