Microbiological quality and regulatory compliance of ground game meat produced in central Italy under Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005

The establishment of structured supply chains for hunted game meat has fostered the development of a wide range of products intended for the food service sector. Among these, minced meat has gained particular prominence due to its practicality. Nonetheless, the grinding process can enhance microbial proliferation, posing potential challenges to product quality and safety. The hygienic profile of deep-frozen minced wild boar (Sus scrofa) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) meat remains insufficiently characterized. A total of 70 minced meat samples (corresponding to 10 batches from wild boar and 4 from roe deer) were collected over a 1-year period from a dedicated processing facility. The samples were processed and subjected to aerobic colony counts (ACC), β-glucuronidase-positive Escherichia coli counts, and the detection of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes. The mean ACC was 4.64±0.75 Log CFU/g, with no significant differences between wild boar (4.65 Log CFU/g) and roe deer (4.61 Log CFU/g) samples. Differences were observed for E. coli counts, with mean values of 2.60±1.02 Log CFU/g for wild boar and 1.90±0.81 Log CFU/g for roe deer. Neither Salmonella spp. nor L. monocytogenes was detected in any of the samples. When compared against the process hygiene criteria established by European legislation, 95.71% of the samples were classified as satisfactory and 4.29% as acceptable for ACC. However, with respect to E. coli, 35.71% of the samples exceeded 500 CFU/g, a level regarded as unsatisfactory for minced meat set in Regulation (EC) No. 2073/2005.