Effect of Delayed Refrigeration on the Microbial Carcass Contamination of Wild Boars (Sus scrofa)

Abstract

The immediate refrigeration of meat after slaughter is a key issue for the proper storage and aging of meat. The industry standard cold chain relies on low temperatures and ventilation to lower the internal carcass temperature to 0–4 °C within the first 48 h, i.e., within four times the so-called semi-cooling time. On the other hand, for games, once bled and eviscerated, the carcass must be sent to a point where it can be sectioned or kept on air for maturation at refrigeration temperature. The precautions to observe are few and simple but essential: protect the meat and start the cooling process quickly. After preparing the animal (bleeding and evisceration), it may be necessary to face a period of transport that is sometimes long and not very easy; while small animals can be easily transported in a backpack, larger ones must necessarily be carried by several people or sometimes dragged to the vehicle capable of transporting them. It is obvious that a wild boar opened from the jaws to the pelvis and dragged for hundreds of meters will tend to be contaminated, although these contaminations are to be considered secondary for the preservation of the meat, compared to contamination by the intestinal contents. In an attempt to investigate the effect of delayed refrigeration on wild boar carcass contamination, the aim of this work was to determine a correlation between several hunting and logistic parameters (age, sex, animal weight, shooting distance, number of shots, weather and temperature and time from shot to refrigeration and to analysis) and bacterial contamination of the carcass. The correlation coefficient, r, was found to be 0.038 for the eviscerated body weight (p < 0.05), 0.091 for the external temperature on the day of hunting (p < 0.05), 0.027 for the time from shot to refrigeration (p = 0.081), 0.038 for the time from refrigeration to analysis (p < 0.05) and 0.043 for the time from shot to analysis (p < 0.05). These results stand for a negative correlation between the bacterial population and eviscerated carcass weight and between the bacterial population and external temperature and for a positive correlation between the time from shot to analysis and from refrigeration to analysis. No association was demonstrated between the bacterial population and the time from shot to refrigeration.

Hygiene Knowledge and Practices of Portuguese Hunters Using Wild Boar Meat for Private Consumption

“…The scientific literature states that the bacteriological quality of the carcasses during harvest, evisceration, initial examination, and transportation is unknown [26]. The importance of four critical steps has been highlighted for the hygienic quality the meat: field dressing/evisceration, cutting and processing, the disposal of edible organs and carcass parts, and refrigeration [5,21,32]. According to Cenci-Goga et al, (2021) [32], refrigeration is a crucial issue.…”

“…The importance of four critical steps has been highlighted for the hygienic quality the meat: field dressing/evisceration, cutting and processing, the disposal of edible organs and carcass parts, and refrigeration [5,21,32]. According to Cenci-Goga et al, (2021) [32], refrigeration is a crucial issue. Still, it is often carried out late and with logistical difficulties due to the distance from the hunting location to the refrigeration location, delayed handling procedures, and conditions intrinsic to the animal, such as its weight.…”

Correlation between Aerosol Particulates, Carcass Dirtiness, and Hygiene Indicators of Bovine Carcasses in the Abattoir Environment: Results of a Study in Italy

“…More specifically, an inspection for the visual dirtiness of the carcasses is much faster and cheaper than the classic microbiological methods currently used to assess the hygienic process criteria. Recognizing the contaminated carcasses before they enter the refrigerated rooms would enable any contact with the other carcasses to be avoided and allow the site of contamination and probable stage of slaughter to be identified, which would immediately and continually improve the process [33]. The main disadvantage of visual inspection lies in its inability to detect contamination in areas from which the material (feces, soil, or ingestion) has detached or been removed (e.g., rinsed) and continues to leave significant microbial loads on the surface.…”

The Critical Role of Consumers in the Prevention of Foodborne Diseases: An Ethnographic Study of Italian Families

“…The attention to these risks has become necessary due to changing lifestyles [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 ] and increasing public awareness of health and product safety [ 14 ]. Furthermore, the social changes in work and family organisation that have taken place in the last 50 years have contributed to reducing the time available for the preparation and consumption of homemade foods, with a consequent increase in the consumption of pre-cooked and ready-to-eat foods, which in any case require extraordinary attention to handling and conservation [ 12 , 15 , 16 , 17 ].…”