Harnessing Volatile Compounds Combinations for Enhancing Microbial Safety of Vacuum-Packaged Dama dama Meat Throughout Shelf Life

Game meat spoils rapidly under refrigeration due to psychrotrophic bacteria, mainly Pseudomonas spp. Plant-derived monoterpenes are promising antimicrobial candidates for fresh meat systems. The aim of this study was to evaluate the antimicrobial effect of selected monoterpenes and their pairwise combinations on vacuum-packed fallow deer meat stored at 4 °C. Portions of Dama dama meat were vacuum-packed and treated with selected monoterpenes (single compounds and combinations). Microbiological quality was monitored during refrigerated storage by enumerating total viable counts (TVC), coliform bacteria and Pseudomonas spp. Visible and distinct colonies were taken from each group and subsequently identified by mass spectrometry. All monoterpene treatments consistently maintained lower TVC, coliform bacteria and Pseudomonas spp. compared with untreated controls across storage. After ten days of storage, TVC in treated samples ranged between 2.78–4.09 log CFU/g, while the control reached 4.09 log CFU/g. Counts of coliform bacteria and Pseudomonas spp. remained at 1.39–1.85 log CFU/g in treated groups compared with 3.02 log CFU/g in the control. Combinations performed at least as well as single compounds. MALDI-TOF MS confirmed Pseudomonas fragi as the predominant species in control samples, accompanied occasionally by Pseudomonas lundensis and Brochothrix thermosphacta, while their prevalence and intensity were markedly reduced in treated samples. Selected monoterpenes, including their combinations, effectively suppress key spoilage bacteria on vacuum-packed fallow deer meat during refrigerated storage and therefore represent practical, nature-derived candidates to support shelf-life and microbiological quality.