An international study on the importance of androstenone and skatole for boar taint: IV. Simulation studies on consumer dissatisfaction with entire male pork and the effect of sorting carcasses on the slaughter line, main conclusions and recommendations

An international study has been conducted in order to determine the respect ive contributions of androstenone and skatole to boar taint and their possi ble variations according to production systems and consumer populations. Th e presentation of the study and the main results concerning skatole and and rostenone levels and data from sensory evaluation or consumer surveys are r eported in companion papers. The present paper summarises the main conclusi ons of the study and gives tentative recommendations. A simulation study wa s conducted, based on the skatole and androstenone levels currently observe d in European populations of entire male pigs and on the results of the con sumer surveys. The first part of the simulation study demonstrated that, ov erall, 6.5% (odour) and 3.0% (flavour) more consumers were dissatisfied wit h entire male than with gilt pork. The differences were, however, very vari able according to countries. Consumer dissatisfaction for the odour of enti re male pork was mostly associated with high skatole levels, while androste none had little influence on it. On the other hand, androstenone and skatol e had similar contributions to the level of dissatisfaction for flavour. Fr om the present study it is not possible to determine clear cut-off levels f or androstenone/skatole. The regression equations presented in [Matthews, K . R., Homer, D. B., Punter, P., Beague, M. P., Gispert, M., Siret, F., Leas k, H., Fonti i Furnols, M., & Bonneau, M. (2000). An international study on the importance of androstenone, skatole for boar taint: III. Consumer surv ey in seven European countries. Meat Science, 54, 271-283] provide a basis for decision making. However, due to methodological limitations, the result s may underestimate consumer reaction to entire male pork. The second part of the simulation study demonstrated that sorting carcasses on the basis of androstenone/skatole would reduce, but not eliminate, differences in consu mer dissatisfaction between entire male and gilt pork. For odour, taking an drostenone into account did not improve the efficiency obtained from sortin g using skatole only. For flavour, sorting using both compounds was more ef ficient than sorting using skatole only. Sorting out 15% of the entire male s, on the basis of skatole only, would result in a difference in the propor tion of dissatisfied consumers of 4.2% (odour) or 2.a% (flavour) between en tire male and gilt pork. The results of the last part of the simulation stu dy demonstrated that decreasing skatole in entire male pig populations, to levels as low as 0.10 ppm, would still result in a difference in the propor tion of dissatisfied consumers of 3.2% (odour) or 1.6% (flavour). To reduce this difference further, the levels of both compounds would have to be red uced still further. The lowest difference that can be achieved is 2.3% (odo ur) or 0.4% (flavour). The conclusions of the present study may differ acco rding to whether immediate commercial applications or long-term goals are c onsidered. On the basis of the skatole and androstenone levels currently ob served in entire male pig populations, sorting out procedures based on skat ole is the easiest way to rapidly achieve a significant decrease in consume r dissatisfaction with entire male pork. In most countries, however, this w ill not be sufficient to obtain the same level of acceptability as with gil ts, In the long term, a sharp reduction in both skatole and androstenone wo uld have to be achieved in entire male pig populations to obtain low differ ences in acceptability between entire male and gilt pork. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.