Consumers in urban areas receive less sexual smell of pork
November 18, 2010
Núria Panella, researcher at IRTA (Institute for research and food technology), has made a work of research which deals with the reaction and acceptability by different types of consumers with respect to the odor of male obtained from pigs meat integers (and therefore)(, not castrated). This meat develops a sensory defect caused by the sexual smell (or boar taint, in English) of the animal, presenting peculiar aroma and taste that is rejected by a large part of consumers. The main compounds that contribute to the sexual smell of pork are the androstenona and the skatole, although there are also other compounds that may play a role in this regard.
Skatole production is due to a bacterial degradation of tryptophan in the intestine of the pig and is influenced by the animal husbandry conditions, so that it can be reduced with a controlled cleaning of the pens. The androstenona, on the other hand, is a male pheromone produced in the testes and accumulates in adipose tissue, and its presence depends mainly of sexual maturity, as well as the animal genetics. The effect of both is, often, perceived during the cooking of the meat of these males, by which the debate about the castration of pigs males (was castran to avoid the production of androstenona in the testicles), is creating, such interest to seek alternatives, as controversy across Europe by the economic interests of the different parties involved in the production of pork meat.
As a result of the fact that the perception of the androstenona is determined genetically, i.e., that only a part of the consumer perceives this smell of the meat of pig and, among these, only a fraction rejects, the study presented by the researcher of the IRTAIt has the originality that raised an analysis according to the geographical origin of the consumer. Work came to the conclusion that 75.5% of consumers in the rural areas most perceive the presence of the androstenona than those from urban areas (55.1%), and are also more those who reject this type of meat (44.7 per cent compared to 35.9% of those in urban areas).
