Rearing entire male pigs presents several benefits, including enhanced feed efficiency, reduced environmental impact, and improved animal welfare. However, the risk of boar taint poses a significant challenge to pork quality. The objective of this pilot study is to evaluate growth performance, meat quality and the incidence of boar taint in intact male pigs of the Bısara breed (BI) and a terminal cross (TC). Five pigs from each breed were monitored during growth and blood samples were taken to measure tainting compounds (skatole and androstenone). The meat quality was compared concerning its colour, pH, and water-holding capacity (WHC). Bısaro pigs have more intensive muscle colour, higher WHC, and higher intramuscular fat content (p<0.001). No significant differences were noted for pH (p>0.05). TC pigs demonstrated more consistent growth patterns and faster growth during later stages. Meat quality analysis revealed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between the two groups in parameters such as thawing loss, moisture content, meat colour, and intramuscular fat, which favoured BI pigs. Conversely, TC pigs exhibited significantly lower levels of boar taint (p<0.05). The Bısara breed, which has not undergone intensive genetic selection, faces greater challenges in addressing boar taint compared to widely used commercial breeds. The emphasis on quantitative traits in BI breeding programs may have overshadowed the importance of qualitative traits. Therefore, exploring alternative and sustainable strategies to manage boar taint in Bısaro pigs is essential.

Natural foods with increased nutritional content and additional biological and health benefits are appealing to modern customers. A growing interest in using natural substances to replace synthetic compounds in foods has sparked several thorough studies with plant-origin products. Maritime pine bark (Pinus pinaster subsp. atlantica) is an abundant waste from the timber industry and an important source of natural polyphenolic compounds. These compounds stand out due to their bioactive potential, especially antioxidant and antimicrobial activities, that can be used for preserving foods, increasing their shelf life, safety, nutritional value, as well as reducing food waste. The present work aims to evaluate the efficiency of pine bark extracts for reducing lipid oxidation in a ready-to-eat cured-smoked pork belly product.

Aim of study: To assess the boar taint prevalence in the Portuguese pork industry through an observational study model by measuring skatole and androstenone levels in fat and to compare it with the estimated thresholds for these compounds among Portuguese consumers. Area of study: Portugal. Material and methods: Adipose tissue samples from 140 animals (102 entire males and 38 females) were collected in three Portuguese abattoirs for boar taint quantification. Cut-off limits were determined using best-estimate thresholds (BET) for skatole and androstenone. Main results: Boar taint quantification for the 140 animals revealed levels of 36.0±4.7 ng/g of skatole and 64.5±21.3 ng/g of androstenone, and values were significantly higher in males. Group BET values were 35.4 ng/g and 566.3 ng/g for skatole and androstenone, respectively. BET values were exceeded in 28.8% of the samples for skatole and 0.7% for androstenone. Research highlights: The investigation revealed a generally low level of boar taint in the samples of this small-scale study on skatole and androstenone prevalence in Portugal’s pork supply chain. However, occasionally a significantly elevated boar taint levels suggest that relying solely on slaughtering sexually immature males might not fully resolve this issue.

This study aimed to determine the efficacy of a finishing diet added with sugar beet pulp to reduce backfat skatole of entire male pigs, using the optimised high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method. The study comprised 72 males Pietrain (Large White × Landrace), divided into two groups of 36 animals each. Pigs in group A (treatment) were fed a supplemented formula (addition of 10 % beet pulp). while animals in group B (control) received a commercial feed, both for a period of 14 days before slaughter. The isocratic HPLC method achieved the chromatographic separation of indolic compounds in approximately 3 min. Skatole was significantly lower (p = 0.002) in group A, showing that beet root supplementation reduced skatole levels in pig fat. In addition, the optimised HPLC method was reliable, less timeconsuming, and showed a resolution suitable for small amounts of skatole

This study aims to investigate the effect of feeding and housing conditions on physicochemical characteristics of cooked hams produced with meat from entire male pigs. Meat from boars raised under different conditions of housing and feeding (two housing conditions and three levels of inulin added to feed) was used to produce six batches of cooked hams following a standard manufacturing process. Texture profile analysis (hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness), color analysis, pH, and moisture content were determined. ANOVA and principal component analysis were carried out. Results showed that 6% of inulin added to feed led to significantly lower values of hardness and chewiness. Improved housing conditions hams presented lower pH values. Except for a* parameter (red color), no significant interactions between the two categorical variables, housing and diet, were found. Housing conditions and inulin feeding may have affected meat characteristics; therefore, adjustments of current cooked ham processing parameters might be necessary. Practical applications: This study is part of a broader project where the main objective is to determine whether the housing conditions and the addition of inulin to pig feed lead to the reduction or elimination of the boar taint. Also, there is the need to determine if the meat characteristics are appealing to the consumers and viable for the industry, since the characteristics of entire male's meat may pose new challenges in meat processing. In line with this, the objective of this study was to determine the effect of different feeding and housing conditions of boars in the physicochemical characteristics of cooked ham, in order to determine the viability of the use of entire male's meat for cooked ham production.

Managing boar taint involves addressing welfare concerns related to castration, understanding the compounds causing the taint, and developing reliable detection methods. Surgical castration of piglets is common but raises welfare issues, prompting calls for alternatives. The European Union has seen slow progress in banning castration without pain relief, with varying national approaches. Boar taint, caused by androstenone and skatole, produces unpleasant odors and flavors in pork. Factors like genetics, age, and rearing conditions affect taint levels. Raising entire males or using immunocastration are the two main alternatives to physical castration, but both come with drawbacks such as welfare concerns and increased costs. Other strategies include feed supplementation, management practices, and genetic approaches. Detecting boar taint is crucial to ensure product quality, but no universal measurement standard exists. Efforts should focus on improving detection methods and processing techniques to reduce taint perception, balancing welfare, production efficiency, and consumer satisfaction. This review synthesizes existing scientific knowledge on boar taint, its prevention, and detection methods, while highlighting innovative strategies and critical research gaps to guide future advancements in sustainable pork production.

Boar taint is an unpleasant odour found in the carcasses of entire male pigs, resulting from androstenone and skatole accumulation during pubertal development, and impacting pork quality. This study proposes the validation of an adapted chromatographic method for quantifying skatole and androstenone in the pigs’ liquid fat using fluorescence detection. A good chromatographic separation was achieved, with skatole (SKA) and androstenone (AND) elution at 4.4 and 9.9 min., respectively. An external calibration method was applied, with calibration curves correlation coefficient of 0.9999 for both analytes. Detection limit values were 1.53 and 16.02 ng/g for SKA and AND, respectively. SKA recovery was 99.72±2.34 % (2.34 % RSD) and 102.84±1.62 % (1.57 % RSD) for AND. Results showed good precision values (repeatability <2.46 % RSD for SKA, <6.85 % RSD for AND; intermediate precision <2.87 % RSD for SKA, <6.98 % RSD for AND). The method‘s robustness was tested and the values were within the reference ranges. The validation results proved that the adaptation of an existing method resulted in good assessments of robustness, reliability and accuracy.

Finishing entire male pigs after puberty is not common in Europe due to aggression and boar taint. Alternatives to surgical castration or immunocastration should be explored as the production of entire males can also increase the productivity and sustainability of swine production. This study evaluated the performance, welfare, health, and meat quality of heavier pigs (from 95 to 135 kg) raised without castration. A factorial experiment consisting of 2 housing conditions (H1 control, H2 improved) × 3 diets (D1 – control diet, D2 – 10% beet pulp, D3 – 5% beet pulp + 4% Fibrofos) with 60 entire males randomly allocated to 6 pens, 23 to 30 weeks of age, was conducted using a Pietrain × (Large White × Landrace) cross. Treatment effects were evaluated with respect to growth, carcass yield, skin lesions, cortisol, hemogram, skatole, androstenone and meat physicochemical characteristics. Improved housing with more headspace, larger feeders, extra drinkers, environmental enrichment (organic toys), and group stability until slaughter led to a significant decrease in androstenone levels and benefited animal health and welfare without compromising performance. In addition, diets with inulin from Fibrofos or sugar beet pulp allowed to significantly reduce skatole content. Due to the price, beet pulp is more sustainable and its 10% inclusion did not negatively affect either intake or performance. Raising entire male pigs for carcasses with low boar taint is be possible if adequate space, environmental enrichment, and specific feeds are provided.

This study aims to investigate the effect of feeding and housing conditions on physicochemical characteristics of cooked hams produced with meat from entire male pigs. Meat from boars raised under different conditions of housing and feeding (two housing conditions and three levels of inulin added to feed) was used to produce six batches of cooked hams following a standard manufacturing process. Texture profile analysis (hardness, cohesiveness, and chewiness), color analysis, pH, and moisture content were determined. ANOVA and principal component analysis were carried out. Results showed that 6% of inulin added to feed led to significantly lower values of hardness and chewiness. Improved housing conditions hams presented lower pH values. Except for a* parameter (red color), no significant interactions between the two categorical variables, housing and diet, were found. Housing conditions and inulin feeding may have affected meat characteristics; therefore, adjustments of current cooked ham processing parameters might be necessary.

This study aims to nutritionally enrich Portuguese “Carolino” white rice (Oryza sativa japonica) by incorporating rice bran oil (RBO) on grain surface. Three levels of RBO coating were used: 0% (control), 0.3% and 0.6% (w/w). Antioxidant capacity (DPPH and ABTS), vitamin E (,  and - tocopherols), and Total fat % were determined. Also, acid value (AV) and peroxide value (PV) were measured on day one and after 183 days of storage to assess samples stability. Samples with 0.6% RBO presented significantly (p<0.05) higher concentrations of -tocopherol (39.52±12.57 g/g) and were the only sample where -tocopherol was quantifiable (14.05±1.85 g/g). DPPH increased with the RBO addition, but no significant differences were found by ABTS analysis. PV and AV increased over time, with 0.6% RBO samples presenting the highest values (p<0.05). Adding 0.6% of RBO to Carolino rice increased the tocopherols concentrations and antioxidant capacity, adding value to white rice.