Consumer evaluation of meat quality from barrows, immunocastrates and boars in six countries

Outdoor Finishing of Intact Male Portuguese Alentejano Pigs on a Sustainable High-Fiber Diet: Impacts on Blood, Growth, Carcass, Meat Quality and Boar Taint Compounds

“…These anabolic effects of testosterone in collagen synthesis can sometimes be associated with increased shear force scores of cooked meat [ 57 ]. However, this was not observed on our trial, as previously reported in commercial breeds [ 10 ].…”

“…This is especially true if the levels of AND and SKA are not detected by consumers [ 9 ]. However, it is important to note that sex also has an impact on meat and fat quality traits, which play a crucial role in consumer acceptance of meat and meat products from intact animals [ 8 , 10 ]. Previous studies assessing these effects, typically conducted on commercial intact hybrid pigs selected for lean meat deposition, have not always yielded consistent results [ 11 ].…”

“…However, intact AL male pigs presented mean levels of AND and SKA (more noticeable on the latter) below threshold values used to differentiate between tainted and non-tainted carcasses [ 52 ]. In sensory evaluations, consumers in several European countries (including Portugal and Spain) found high levels of AND to be less noticeable when levels of SKA were low [ 10 ]. However, the importance of AND in consumer rejection should not be underestimated, and some recent publications suggest lower thresholds for consumer detection of AND (e.g., 500 to 1000 ng/g [ 84 ]).…”

“…Avoiding castration in pigs is beneficial for animal welfare, as well as from economic, social and environmental perspectives, as long as the levels of AND and SKA in meat are minimized and agonistic behaviors are controlled [ 7 , 9 ]. Meanwhile, carcass and other quality traits of meat and fat, which influence the consumer acceptance of meat and meat products, may also be altered in intact pigs [ 8 , 10 ]. Nevertheless, published results in these traits, generally obtained in commercial intact hybrid pigs selected for lean meat deposition, are not always consistent [ 11 ].…”

Can sensory boar taint levels be explained by fatty acid composition and emitted volatile organic compounds in addition to androstenone and skatole content?

“…The higher difficulty to evaluate androstenone than skatole in the boar taint perception carried out with trained panelist is in agreement with previous works (Aluwé et al, 2022;Dijksterhuis et al, 2000;Font et al, 2009;Lunde et al, 2010). In this regard, HNS is higher and similar in HS/HA and HS/MA group (2.38+0.69 and 2.36+0.48, respectively, both with high levels of skatole), is intermediate in the LS/HA class (1.29+0.95, with low levels of skatole) and is low in the LS/LA class (0.31+0.70; with low levels of skatole).…”