A survey of the microbiological quality of kangaroo carcasses processed for human consumption in two processing plants in Queensland, Australia

An investigation of the microbiological quality of kangaroo carcasses at two Queensland processing plants was carried out. A total of 836 whole muscle samples were taken, 801 from plant A and 35 from plant B. Samples were analyzed for aerobic bacteria, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella. The mean adjusted aerobic plate count (APC) was 2.8 log CFU/g, and counts at the 90th, 95th, and 99th percentiles were 4.2, 4.9, and 6.4 log CFU/g, respectively. The maximum number of bacteria recovered was 6.5 log CFU/g. E. coli was detected in 13.9% of samples, for which the adjusted mean was 0.7 log CFU/g, and counts at the 90th, 95th, and 99th percentiles were 1.4, 2.0, and 3.0 log CFU/g, respectively. Salmonella was detected in 0.84% of samples. There was no significant relationship (P < 0.05) between season and APC or E. coli count. There was a significant relationship (P < 0.001) between Salmonella prevalence and summer. The microbiological quality of Queensland kangaroo carcasses is similar to that obtained during other excision-based studies of kangaroo, wild boar, and beef carcasses.