Pig Castration and its Alternatives

Table of Contents

1. What this is about, who it is by and who it is for
   1. Orientation
   2. Aims and objectives
2. Introductory Quiz
3. Extent of pig production in the EU
4. Pig Castration in the EU
   1. Extent of Pig Castration in the EU
   2. How the prevalence of castration varies in different EU countries
   3. Proportion of pigs castrated across the countries of the EU
5. Consequences of raising entire male pigs
   1. What is boar taint and what causes it?
   2. Compounds related to boar taint
   3. Factors related to the presence of boar taint compounds.
   4. How boar taint compounds are perceived by consumers
   5. Anosmia
6. Methods of Pig Castration
7. Alternatives to Castration
   1. Production only of entire (uncastrated) males
   2. Production only of females / Spermatic selection
   3. Immunocastration
   4. Castration with anaesthesia and analgesia
   5. Summary of advantages and disadvantages of alternative methods
8. Attitudes of producers and consumers towards pig production methods
   1. Attitudes of the producers
   2. Attitudes of consumers
9. Summary and Post Tutorial Test
10. For more information
    1. References

Factors related to the presence of boar taint compounds.

Next we are going to move on to what factors are related to the presence of boar taint compounds.

Androstenone

You will recall from the last page that androstenone is a male pheromone that is produced in the testes of male pigs when they reach puberty.

1

Which of the following would you expect to have a significant effect upon the level of androstenone in pigs? (You can choose more than one answer) a) Feeding b) Gender c) Weight d) Age e) Genetics (i.e Breed) a) Yes, that's correct, feeding does not significantly effect the level of androstenone.a) No, that's not correct. Feeding does not significantly effect the level of androstenone.b) Yes, that's correct. Androstenone is only synthesised in the testes of males.b) No that's not correct. Gender is signficant, as Androstenone is only synthesised in the testes of males.c) Yes, that's correct. Weight determines when puberty appears, and synthesis of androstenone starts when male pigs reach puberty. Follow this link to see a graph that explains this further. c) No, that's not correct. In fact weight is significant becuause it determines when puberty appears, and synthesis of androstenone starts when male pigs reach puberty. Follow this link to see a graph that explains this further.d) Yes, that's correct. Age determines when puberty appears, and synthesis of androstenone starts when male pigs reach puberty. Follow this link to see a graph that explains this further.d) No, that's not correct. Age is significant as it determines when puberty appears, and synthesis of androstenone starts when male pigs reach puberty. Follow this link to see a graph that explains this further.e) Yes, that's correct. Genetics determines when sexual maturity appears, and synthesis of androstenone starts when male pigs reach puberty. The following figure shows that the levels of androstenone (µg/g) vary considerably among breeds (Xue et al., 1996). e) No that's not correct. Genetics is significant as it determines when sexual maturity appears, and synthesis of androstenone starts when male pigs reach puberty. The following figure shows that the levels of androstenone (µg/g) vary considerably among breeds (Xue et al., 1996).

Skatole

Given that skatole is a by-product of the metabolism of the amino acids L-tryptophan in the large intestine of pigs:

2

Which of the following would you expect to have a significant effect upon the level of skatole in pigs? (You can choose more than one answer) a) Body temperature b) Feeding c) Management d) Noise e) Gender a) Yes, that's correct, body temperature does not significantly affect the level of skatole.a) No, that's not correct. Body temperature does not significantly effect the level of skatole.b) Yes, that's correct. The type of feeding regime plays a crucial role in the regulation of skatole levels, e.g. the level and form of protein and carbohydrate supplementation. For more information about this, click hereb) No that's not correct. In fact the type of feeding regime plays a crucial role in the regulation of skatole levels, e.g. the level and form of protein and carbohydrate supplementation. For more information about this, click here. c) Yes, that's correct. Skatole levels are highly affected by rearing conditions, being higher at high stocking density and in unclean conditions.c) No, that's not correct. In fact management is significant because Skatole levels are highly affected by rearing conditions, being higher at high stocking density and in unclean conditionsd) Yes, that's correct. Noise does not have a significant impact on skatole levels.d) No, that's not correct. Noise does not have a significant impact on skatole levels.e) Yes, that's correct. Skatole is synthesized in the intestine of all genders of pigs, but it can only be accumulated in high amounts in the adipose (fat) tissue of entire malese) No that's not correct. Gender is significant because although Skatole is synthesized in the intestine of all genders of pigs, it can only be accumulated in high amounts in the adipose (fat) tissue of entire males

3

Which of the following statements do you think are true? (You can choose more than one answer.) a) Castrated male pigs do not exhibit boar taint b) Meat from entire males may exhibit boar taint c) Meat from all entire males will exhibit some boar taint a) Yes that's correcta) No actually it is true. b) Yes that's correct. b) No actually it is true. c) Yes that's correct. The statement is false. Not all of the pork meat from entire males has boar taintc) No that's not correct. The statement is false because not all of the pork meat from entire males has boar taint.

4

In which type of meat products do you think there is the lowest risk of boar taint being detected? (You can choose more than one answer.) a) Fresh pork meat b) Dry cured products (e.g. bacon, dry cured ham) c) Cooked processed products that are eaten cold (e.g. York Ham, Spam, Pork Pies) d) Processed products that are eaten hot (e.g. sausages) Yes that is correct. The compounds associated with boar taint are volatile (i.e. they evaporate on heating) so that they will appear during the cooking phase and while the meat is still hot, but as a result be reduced in the subsequent product. So the lowest risk is with meat products that have previously been cooked and are eaten cold. No that is not correct. The lowest risk is with meat products that have previously been cooked and are eaten cold. This is because the compounds associated with boar taint are volatile (i.e. they evaporate on heating) so that they will appear during the cooking phase and while the meat is still hot, but as a result be reduced in the subsequent product. Your answer has been saved.