Valorisation of tainted boar meat in patties, frankfurter sausages and cooked ham by means of targeted dilution, cooking and smoking

Abstract

Because of the need to abolish the castration of piglets without anaesthesia/analgesia, the pig industry is searching for a mode of action for the valorization of meat with boar taint, an off-odour in entire male pigs. Carcasses with boar taint were selected by means of sensory and chemical analysis, after which patties with different levels of tainted boar meat were produced, as well as cooked ham and Frankfurter sausages using different smoke condensates and cooking temperatures. For these products, i.a. orthonasal and retronasal boar taint odour were assessed by a trained expert panel.The results offer guidance regarding dilution of tainted meat (with < 400 µg kg-1 androstenone if skatole is low or < 200 µg kg-1 androstenone in concurrence with ≥ 37 µg kg-1 skatole) and the potential application of smoke condensates (e.g. Rudinsmoke C for sausages and Smokez LFBN for ham) as promising boar taint masking strategies.

Fat Replacement by Vegetal Fibres to Improve the Quality of Sausages Elaborated with Non-Castrated Male Pork

“…In this sense, Mörlein et al [ 39 ] found that up to 33% of meat and fat from carcasses possessing skatole concentrations of up to 0.3 μg/g and androstenone concentrations of up to 3.8 μg/g in melted back fat may be used for the production of Frankfurter-type sausages. This is in accordance with the results of Hemeryck et al [ 40 ], who confirmed that mixing patties with Gilt raw materials processing these into Frankfurter sausages or into restructured ham can potentially reduce rejection by consumers.…”

The Use of Pork from Entire Male and Immunocastrated Pigs for Meat Products—An Overview with Recommendations

“…Another effective solution is blending. For meat patties (containing 30% fat tissue, spiced with pepper and added breadcrumbs), up to 40% of highly tainted EM carcasses (corresponding to 0.4 ppm androstenone in the product) was reported acceptable [ 174 ], but only in combinations with low skatole. When skatole was increased (i.e., 0.037 ppm), this halved the acceptable levels of androstenone in the product to 0.2 ppm and allowed the use of no more than 20% tainted carcasses.…”

“…For example, androstenone reduction from 29% [ 176 ] up to 60% was reported for cooked in comparison to fresh hams, while notable or even complete elimination of skatole in cooked sausages and cooked ham was shown [ 158 , 179 ]. In cooked restructured ham, more than a 40% reduction of androstenone was reported, while cooking resulted in approximately a 30% reduction of androstenone and skatole content in frankfurter sausages [ 174 ]. Others report no boar taint elimination in spite of a heat treatment.…”

“…Tørngren et al [ 139 ] indicated that in smoked cooked ham processing core temperatures above 70 °C had no effect on boar taint perception. Similarly, no influence of cooking temperatures (65 °C; 72 °C or 80 °C) on boar taint was reported for frankfurters [ 174 ]. For frankfurters produced with different masking strategies (smoke, flavorings and spices).…”

“…As indicated before, smoke is the most efficient masking (and possibly also reducing) agent for boar taint, when present in low or medium levels, being less effective in more highly tainted products [ 157 , 175 , 178 ]. Despite attesting the positive effect of conventional smoking or adding different smoke condensates to cooked meat products, the study of Hemeryck et al [ 174 ] reported no interference with the actual levels of boar taint compounds. For cooked meat products from highly tainted material, combining smoke (or liquid smoke) and spices (like pepper, mustard, paprika, nutmeg, coriander and marjoram, in addition to others mentioned in 3.3.)…”