Influence of Storage Time and Ultrasonic Treatment on the Microbial and Physicochemical Quality of Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) Venison

The study set out to examine the effect of sampling time, ultrasonic treatment and muscle on the microbial and physicochemical quality of meat from red deer. Samples of three muscles from eight red deer hinds were collected: semimembranosus (SM), longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL), and quadriceps femoris (QD). The samples were stored using three methods and treated or not with an ultrasonic bath. The SM muscle had the highest loads of lactic acid bacteria, and the SM had more fungi and molds than the LTL. Freezer storage reduced the numbers of lactic acid bacteria by 17.8% compared with the samples examined 48 h post-harvest. The freezer storage of LTL and SM samples led to the lowest detection of Pseudomonas sp., with the QD sample being free of this microbe. Ultrasonic bath had minimal impact on meat physicochemical and sensory traits. Still, it significantly reduced the loads of β-d-glucuronidase-positive Escherichia coli (by 35.2%) and Enterobacteriaceae (by 11.6%), compared with untreated samples. Deer muscles vary in microbial loads, but bacterial counts can be decreased with proper methods of venison management.