Sensory analysis of boar taint compounds

The primary motivation of this thesis resulted from the fact that non-anaesthetised surgical castration of male piglets will be banned in the European Union in 2018 due to animal welfare issues. An alternative which meets the various interests of stakeholders involved in the pork production chain is in demand. Actually, rearing boars is regarded as the favourite alternative concerning animal welfare. Its main drawback is the occurrence of so-called boar taint. This thesis and the included publications focus on the sensory aspects pertaining to the problem of boar taint compounds in uncastrated male pigs. Sensory analyses include consumer acceptance studies, which are necessary for the risk assessment of fattening boars; liking and acceptance of a foodstuff including pork strongly depend on its (impeccable) sensory properties. Knowledge and consumers' attitudes, however, may be equally important and can affect product liking. The objective evaluation by trained sensory assessors reveals insights into the success of reduction measures. Moreover, it shows which levels of androstenone and skatole cannot be differentiated compared to standard, commercial meat and meat products. Hence, amounts below these threshold levels are considered safe regarding the acceptability among average consumers. Investigating the impact of sensory assessors' individual olfactory acuity on the objective boar taint evaluation contributes to the selection of suitable human testers. A reliable detection and sorting of tainted carcasses in slaughterhouses accounts for good sensory quality of pork and consumer satisfaction is thereby ensured in the long term. The general scope of this thesis is to provide insights into the human perception of boar taint compounds, their objective evaluation and consequently the investigation of the acceptability of meat and meat products from intact male pigs.