Effect of time and temperature before chilling on the hygiene of carcasses in wild boar hunted in central Italy.

The interest in certified game meat chains highlights the need for the evaluation and the management of factors affecting carcass hygiene along the peculiar steps of the production. The effects of time and temperature before chilling were specifically evaluated on aerobic colony count and count in hunted wild boar carcasses. Thirty wild boars were considered in two process steps where the hunted animal are still not chilled: after evisceration and just before chilling.