The Use of Less Conventional Meats or Meat with High pH Can Lead to the Growth of Undesirable Microorganisms during Natural Meat Fermentation.

The bacterial communities that are established during natural meat fermentation depend on the processing conditions and the type of meat substrate used. Six pork samples of variable quality (reflected in pH values) and six less conventional meats (beef, horse, hare, wild deer, wild duck, and wild boar) were naturally fermented under controlled conditions in model systems. The development of lactic acid bacteria (LAB), coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), and enterobacteria was followed using culture-dependent techniques and (GTG)-PCR fingerprinting of genomic DNA from the isolates obtained. Taken together, was the most abundant LAB species, although was more manifest in high-pH pork. Within staphylococci, common species were encountered (i.e., , , and ), although some atypical ones (i.e., ) were also recovered. Within enterobacteria, spp. prevailed in more acidic pork batches and in beef, whereas spp. prevailed in game meat fermentations. Enterobacterial counts were particularly high in fermentations with low acidity, namely for some pork batches, hare, wild duck, and wild boar. These findings should be considered when naturally fermented meat products are manufactured, as the use of game meat or meat with high pH can give rise to safety concerns.