Food Safety for Deer Hunters

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Food Safety for Deer Hunters

• Enjoy your sport treat family and friends to
  safe Venison

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VenisonCare and Handling of the Meat

• Chilling and Freezing
• for
• Safety Preservation

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Meat Preservation

• Low Temperature
• Chilling
• 32-40ºF (0-5ºC)
• Freezing
• Below 28ºF (-2ºC)

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Carcass Chilling Rate

• Carcass Size Weight
• Temperature
• Fat Cover on Carcass
• Chilling Method

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Carcass Chilling Rate

• Chilling Method
• Air
• Deer 20 hrs at 35o F
• Beef 48 hrs. at 35o F
• Pork 20-24 hrs. at 35o F
• Relative Humidity 85
• If higher ? Slime Bacterial Growth

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Time/Temperature Control Points

• Chill Carcass Surface to 40ºF
• Within 24 hrs.
• Handling, Holding
• At 40ºF or lower
• Products that are
• not properly chilled
• held at temperatures exceeding 40ºF
• Further processed to kill pathogens

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Chilling32-40ºF (0-5ºC)

• Meat Aging
• Deer 1 - 2 weeks
• Beef 1 - 4 weeks
• Home Storage - 4 days (short term)
• Cut and packaged meat

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Ageing Deer

• Age deer only if
• Properly handled
• Clean
• Not gut shot

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Ageing of the Carcass

• Leave the skin on during ageing (cold)
• Holds down shrinkage
• Avoids discoloration
• Proper ageing
• Improves tenderness
• Ageing temperatures
• 32º to 36 º Fahrenheit
• Not to exceed 40 º Fahrenheit
• Ageing time
• 2 Weeks Maximum

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Home Refrigeration Tips

• Operate refrigerator at 35ºF
• Properly wrap all meat
• Steaks and roasts may be aged in the refrigerator
• Ground meat has a shorter shelf life
• Cured meat products are more stable than fresh
  meat

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FreezingLess than 28ºF (-2ºC)

• Defined by ice crystal formation
• Water ICE

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FreezingLess than 28ºF (-2ºC)

• Maintains
• Flavor and Tenderness
• Nutritive Properties
• of fresh meat when properly applied

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Quality Affected By

• Freezing Rate
• Storage Conditions
• Thawing Rate

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Rapid vs. Slow Freezing

• ICE Crystal Size
• ICE Crystal Location

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Rapid Vs. Slow Freezing

• Ice Crystal Size
• Slow freezing allows ice crystals to grow to
  larger sizes (?)
• Ice Crystal Location

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Rapid Vs. Slow Freezing

• Ice Crystal Size
• Ice Crystal Location
• Slow freezing causes ice crystals to migrate to
  intercellular space (?)
• Causes more drip loss (?)

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Bottom Line.

• Freezing
• stops growth of microorganisms during storage
• may damage or kill some organisms
• maintains quality of product when properly
  applied
• Does not preserve by destroying bacteria, virus,
  mold or toxins.

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Thawing Meat

• Meat thaws more slowly than it freezes
• at same temperature differential
• Slow thawing tends to reduce drip loss (?)
• Thawing meat at room temperature poses a food
  safety hazard!

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Frozen Storage Timetable

• Venison 6-12 months
• Beef 6-12 months
• Lamb 6-12 months
• Veal 4 - 6 months
• Fresh Pork 4 - 6 months
• Cured Pork 1.5 months
• Variety Meats 3 months
• Poultry 4 months
• Ground Beef 6 months
• Seasoned Sausage 2 months

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Freezer Operation Tips

• Operate freezer at 0ºF (-10ºF better)
• Maintain constant temperature 5ºF
• Proper wrapping is important
• Learn to recognize normal frozen meat color
• Observe recommended frozen storage times
• Thaw meat in the refrigerator or cook without
  thawing (allow 1/3 more time to cook)

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Freezer Power Failure

• Do Not Open the Freezer During Power Outage.
• Check temperature of meat packages after power is
  restored.
• If temperature is lt40oF
• Refreeze quickly
• Temperature gt 40oF
• Cook immediately or discard

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Chronic Wasting Disease

• CWD

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CWD

• A Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathie (TSE)
• TSEs are fatal neurological disorders affecting
  humans and animals.
• BSE in Beef
• CJD in Humans
• Scrapie in Sheep
• FSE in Domestic Cats
• CWD in Deer and Elk

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CWD

• TSEs are caused by Prions
• Prions are a small protein
• Prions are resistant to heat and chemical
  denaturants
• Prions are difficult to deactivate
• CWD is not currently thought to be transmissible
  to Humans

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Prudent Recommendations

• Minimize contact with Brain tissue, Spinal cord,
  Lymph nodes and Spleen
• Wear rubber gloves when field dressing, removing
  the head and antlers
• Use separate saw when removing head and antlers
• Remove lymph nodes
• Process animals individually
• Bone out the meat from your animal
• Use strong bleach to sanitize equipment

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Protecting Indianas Deer Herd

• So far CWD has not been found in Indiana,
  although it was found in Northern Illinois in
  2002.
• What should you be looking for? Even before deer
  exhibit neurological symptoms (stumbling, lack of
  balance), they begin to salivate heavily, and you
  might notice drool marks down their face and
  neck. Eventually, they are unable to feed, and
  the ultimate cause of death is starvation, hence
  the term wasting disease.

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From APHIS March 2009
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CWD Testing

• 2009 Deer Hunting Season
• Since 2002, over 9,600 samples have been tested
  with no prions detected.
• This year biologists will again sample road
  killed deer throughout the year as part of their
  routine duties. Additionally, about 50 staff
  will collect 10 samples each from hunter
  harvested deer during the first weekend of
  firearms season.
• Additionally, targeted testing will be done on
  deer that appear emaciated or otherwise ill.

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Other diseases to watch for

• Bovine Tuberculosis (TB)
• -look for blister like sores on inside of body
  cavity and on organs
• Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD)
• -last summer there was an outbreak in Southern
  Indiana
• - The good news this year is that there have
  been no confirmed reports of EHD as of Mid-August
• - In previous years following outbreaks, the
  deer herd has rebounded to pre-outbreak levels
  very quickly.

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EHD Distribution in 2009
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More on EHD

• EHD and Bluetongue virus are very similar
• Both are transmitted by biting flies, and
  therefore are seasonal in nature, occurring in
  late summer and early fall. Outbreaks cease with
  onset of cold weather (generally before hunting
  season)
• Antibodies for EHD can be passed on by surviving
  does to their fawns
• Drought was believed to be a major contributing
  factor last year
• Humans are not at risk by handling infected deer,
  eating venison from infected deer, or being
  bitten by the infected biting flies.

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Happy Hunting