Pork Production with Entire Males: Directions for Control of Boar Taint

Abstract

Boar taint is caused by the accumulation of androstenone and skatole and other indoles in the fat; this is regulated by the balance between synthesis and degradation of these compounds and can be affected by a number of factors, including environment and management practices, sexual maturity, nutrition, and genetics. Boar taint can be controlled by immunocastration, but this practice has not been accepted in some countries. Genetics offers a long-term solution to the boar taint problem via selective breeding or genome editing. A number of short-term strategies to control boar taint have been proposed, but these can have inconsistent effects and there is too much variability between breeds and individuals to implement a blanket solution for boar taint. Therefore, we propose a precision livestock management approach to developing solutions for controlling taint. This involves determining the differences in metabolic processes and the genetic variations that cause boar taint in specific groups of pigs and using this information to design custom treatments based on the cause of boar taint. Genetic, proteomic or metabolomic profiling can then be used to identify and implement effective solutions for boar taint for specific populations of animals.

Combined Effect of Dietary Protein, Ractopamine, and Immunocastration on Boar Taint Compounds, and Using Testicle Parameters as an Indicator of Success

“…However, diet and supplementation with ractopamine hydrochloride had no influence on skatole levels in the present study, which was somewhat unexpected, as changes in dietary protein and fiber contents may influence the gut pH and microflora [ 35 ] and intestinal cell debris production [ 16 ], all of which are thought to contribute to the amount of skatole production in the gut. Furthermore, the use of feed additives may also potentially have an influence on the enterohepatic recirculation of androstenone as well as on gut microflora, influencing skatole production [ 19 ]. However, skatole synthesis and metabolism is a complex process of which the influence of various factors on this remain poorly understood [ 36 ], and it is likely that the dietary factors included in the present study were not detrimental to the gut pH, microflora and metabolism of boar taint-related compounds.…”

“…Various approaches have been investigated to control boar taint-related compounds [ 19 ], with gene-editing showing huge potential, but also a rather lengthy timeline before commercial implementation. While some approaches may address decreasing the incidences of boar taint, they do not necessarily address the welfare issues of entire male production, such as aggressive behavior [ 20 ], the meat/product quality issues associated with entire males [ 21 ], or the application of these technologies, such as gene editing, is currently limited in various countries.…”

How to Improve Meat Quality and Welfare in Entire Male Pigs by Genetics

“…On the contrary, a very large number of QTLs or candidate genes have been published for meat quality traits ( ). A meta-analysis performed on this large number of QTL was an efficient methodology to consolidate results and propose valid information to assist selection [ 78 ]. Even though causal mutations are unknown, genomic markers can offer useful strategies in local breeds in which boar taint risk is poorly known.…”

Correlation Networks Provide New Insights into the Architecture of Testicular Steroid Pathways in Pigs

“…The regulation of the synthesis of testicular steroids is of major importance in boars, not only for the control of reproduction but also for the specific problem of boar taint [ 1 ]. In mammals, production of sex steroids by Leydig cells is, at least in part, under the endocrine control of both gonadotropins (LH and FSH) and under the paracrine control of testosterone and estradiol [ 2 ].…”