EAAP Working Group on “Production and Utilisation of Meat from Entire Male Pigs”
2nd -3rd December 2013
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Farm-specific strategies for the reduction of boar taint
E. Heyrman1, M. Aluwé1, F. Tuyttens1,4, S. Janssens2, J. Wauters3, L. Vanhaecke3, N.
Buys2, S. Millet1
1
ILVO (Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research), Animal Sciences Unit, Scheldeweg 68, 9090 Melle,
Belgium
2 Laboratory of Livestock Physiology, Immunology and Genetics, Department of Biosystems, K.U. Leuven, 3001
Leuven, Belgium
3Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Veterinary Public Health and Food Safety,
Laboratory of Chemical Analysis, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
4Ghent University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Salisburylaan 133, B-9820 Merelbeke, Belgium
The pig sector announced to stop the surgical castration of male piglets in Europe. This practice
has traditionally been used to prevent boar taint in pork. With the ban of castration, new methods
are needed to guarantee taintless meat for the consumer. The goal of this project is two-fold. First,
we will develop farm-specific strategies to lower the prevalence of boar taint for farmers that have
already made the switch towards raising entire male pigs. Second, we will validate online
detection methods that are being applied or tested in the slaughterhouses.
In a first round of sampling, farms with high and low risk for boar taint will be identified. The hot
iron method will be used to determine overall boar taint level, resulting in a general boar taint
score. In addition, we will test a sensory method to determine the approximate levels of skatol
and androstenon in each tainted sample. The performance of the hot iron and sensory method will
be validated by chemical analysis.. Also in this round of sampling, online detection methods being
used at slaughterhouses will be validated. In a second sampling round, we will identify risk factors
present on the farms selected in the first round. This will be done by means of farmer
questionnaires. These will give us information about farm-specific practices that may have an
influence on the prevalence of boar taint. Besides, we will collect batch specific data to identify
slaughter-related risk factors. Also in this sampling round we will look at the effect of the sire, in
order to determine low and high risk breeding boars. For these breeding boars, we will determine
the parameters that give an indication of low or highly tainted offspring. We will also screen
tainted samples for the MC4R gene to confirm its relation to boar taint observed in earlier
research. The sensory and online methods validated in the first round will be used to determine
boar taint in the samples throughout the project. The knowledge of the risk factors and the
identification of low risk breeding boars will be used to set up farm-specific strategies to reduce
boar taint. To stimulate a broader implementation, five farms will be selected with high
prevalence of boar taint to evaluate three reduction strategies on each farm with respect to
feasibility and effectiveness. One treatment will consist of all three strategies implemented
simultaneously.
[1]
Keywords: boar taint, reduction, farm specific strategies