Toward the elimination of boar taint
The sensory quality of pork produced from some entire male pigs may be negatively affected by the presence of skatole and/or androstenone, so called boar taint. The major factor determining the level of boar taint in pork is the balance between biosynthesis and catabolism of androstenone and skatole. Reduced production or enhanced clearance of boar taint compounds are the basic approaches to prevent boar taint.
Our mission is to evaluate animal-friendly alternatives to surgical castration without negative effects on meat quality.
Research in this area is mainly focused on following:
- Active immunization against GnRH (immunocastration)
- Dietary inhibition of skatole production as an alternative to pig castration
- Determination of biomarkers related to boar taint for future selection of lines of taint-free pigs
- Skatole and androstenone metabolism in hepatic and extrahepatic tissues
Research group:
Kerstin Lundström, professor
Galia Zamaratskaia, PhD
Carl Brunius, PhD student
Christina Nilsson, laboratory technician
Jing Li, laboratory technician