Salmonella in Wild Boar Meat: Prevalence and Risk Assessment in Central Italy (Umbria and Marche Region).

A survey was conducted from 2018 to 2023 to assess the presence of Salmonella in 280 hunted wild boar (carcasses after evisceration and skinning, N = 226; liver, N = 258; and fecal samples, N = 174). The overall prevalence was 2.86% (confidence interval 95%, 1.45-5.45%) with five positive samples detected in carcasses, three in the liver, and one in a fecal sample. This prevalence was in line with those found in nearby areas denoting a low number of positive samples. Positive animals were over 24 months of age and weighed, before skinning, 59.00 ± 9.11 Kg and no difference was detected in microbial loads between samples positive and negative for Salmonella (aerobic colony count of 4.59 and 4.66 log CFU/400 cm2, and Enterobacteriaceae count of 2.89 and 2.73 log CFU/400 cm2 (mean values) in positive and negative subjects, respectively). Salmonella Stanleyville was the most frequently isolated serotype. A semiquantitative risk assessment was conducted for the first time in game meat considering two products, meat cuts intended for cooking and fermented dry sausages. Only proper cooking can reduce the risk of ingestion of Salmonella to the minimum for consumers, whereas ready-to-eat dry sausages constitute risk products in terms of foodborne Salmonellosis (risk score of 64 out of 100).

Value-addition of Beef Meat By-products: Lipid Characterization by Chromatographic Techniques.

The lipid characterization of storage fat, subcutaneous fat and bone marrow, originated from three different bovine categories, calf, young bull and cow, was carried out in order to develop a re-use of these by-products. After the lipid extraction, the compositions in fatty acids, triacylglycerols and cholesterol were determined by GC-FID. A total of 25 fatty acids were identified in all by-products; the oleic acid was the preponderant component, followed by palmitic, stearic, palmitoleic, linoleic and myristic acid. The long chain triacylglycerols (T48, T50 and T52) were the main products, especially in the cow's by-products. The subcutaneous fat of all animals showed the highest cholesterol content, whereas it was present in low amount in the others. Phospholipids were analysed in bone marrow of all the animals and phosphatidylcholine was the most abundant compound. Because of the high fat content and essential fatty acids and the low cholesterol amount, storage fat and bone marrow could represent a valuable lipid resource in food and pharmaceutical industry.

Animal Welfare: Data from an Online Consultation.

This paper analyses data obtained from an online survey related to animal welfare and religious slaughter topics. The questionnaire was conducted with the purpose of examining the purchase behaviour of a group of consumers (with different religious orientation) and their views on animal protection and ritual slaughter. The main results of the consultation were two. The first evidenced the respondents' great interest about the question on animal welfare, which is in accordance with the growing interest of European citizens concerning this issue. The second was the demand for a more transparent labelling of animal products, which would also reflect animal welfare and the slaughter method used. These results are in contrast with marketing analysis, which finds that consumers want to only receive positive information. Paradoxically, the more information is transmitted to reassure consumers, the higher is the risk to alarm them.