Effect of faecal soiling on skatole and androstenone occurrence in organic entire male pigs

Abstract

Production of entire male pigs could be a future strategy for organic pig production. However, production of entire males leads to increased risk of carcasses with elevated boar taint levels. It is hypothesized that skatole levels in pig meat are affected by faecal soiling and that organic housing facilities can increase the risk of pigs being heavily soiled. Therefore, the overall aim of this study was to investigate if increased pig and pen soiling increases skatole concentration in entire male pigs. In five herds, 1174 organic entire male pigs were reared in four batches across two seasons, summer and winter. Measurements of pig and pen soiling, as well as fat skatole and androstenone concentration and human nose sensory tests of fat odour, were performed. Skatole and androstenone concentrations varied greatly within and between herds with a 10% and 90% percentile for the overall population of 0.02 and 2.25 µg/g for skatole and 0.53 and 4.84 µg/g for androstenone. Human nose positive tests averaged 18.3% with great variation between herds and seasons. Pen soiling had significant effects on pig soiling. Moreover, outdoor pen soiling significantly affected skatole concentration in interactions with herd and season ( P < 0.001 and P = 0.003) and affected human nose positive risk in interaction with herd ( P = 0.005). Soiling on indoor pen areas did not affect skatole levels and no effect on androstenone was found for any pen area. Soiling of pigs affected both skatole and androstenone levels, with the size of the head and abdomen body areas covered in manure showing significant positive effects on skatole concentration. No effect of density of the manure layer was found on either boar taint measure. Herd significantly affected both skatole and androstenone in fat as well as the human nose positive risk. The human nose test revealed no effect from pig soiling. A large variation in the different boar taint measures was found for both high and low scores of pen and pig soiling, and only a small difference in skatole and androstenone concentrations between the high and low soiling categories was found. Therefore, while increasing the hygiene management could be a strategy for reducing boar taint in production of organic entire male pigs, it should be emphasized that other factors would also need to be considered.

Effect of Immunocastration on Culled Sows—A Preliminary Study on Reproductive Tract, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality

“…While skatole levels are typically elevated in intact males, they are also detectable in barrows and gilts, albeit in smaller quantities [20]. Furthermore, the absorption of skatole can occur through the skin via contact with feces or through the respiratory system via inhalation, which may vary depending on environmental conditions and housing facilities [78]. Regarding androstenone, the results were quite heterogeneous, and the presence of androstenone was not detected in some animals, regardless of the group.…”

Odeurs indésirables de la viande de porcs mâles non castrés : problèmes et solutions potentielles

“…Sachant que le scatol peut être absorbé au niveau pulmonaire comme cela a été démontré chez le lapin (Bray et Carlson, 1980), ce phénomène pourrait contribuer à augmenter la teneur en scatol du tissu adipeux quand il fait chaud. Indépendamment de la saison, plusieurs études montrent que la concentration en scatol du gras est plus forte chez les animaux élevés en loges sales (Hansen et al, 1994 ;Thomsen et al, 2015a ;Parois et al, 2017b). Ceci peut s'expliquer comme précédemment par une augmentation de l'absorption au niveau des poumons et/ou au travers de la peau, en particulier celle du ventre du fait de sa plus grande finesse.…”

Influence of social mixing and group size on skin lesions and mounting in organic entire male pigs

“…Housing system This study is part of a larger study on organic entire male pigs, with a thorough description of housing system and study design to be found in Thomsen et al (2014a and2014b). The pigs were reared according to the standard Danish organic production system, with an indoor area consisting of an activity area with solid and partially slatted floors and a resting area with straw bedding.…”