![]() Skatole (3-methyl-indole) is a metabolite of the amino acid tryptophan, with a fecal odor. The remaining third of consumers also perceive the odor, but consider it as pleasant. About one third of consumers are anosmic to androstenone (cannot smell it), whilst another third are highly sensitive and reject pork with already low androstenone concentrations. The human sensitivity to androstenone is highly variable. Androstenone levels in the fat of entire male pigs range from 0.1 to 0.2 µg/g to 5 to 10 µg/g, according to a lognormal distribution. After being released in the blood, androstenone can be catabolized by the liver, stored reversibly in the adipose tissue, or taken up by the salivary glands, where it is reduced to α-androstenol and β-androstenol that are excreted in saliva, where they act as pheromones to induce puberty in gilts or elicit mating behavior in the sow. Its production in the Leydig cells is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis, in the same way as the synthesis of the gonadal hormones androgens and estrogens. Why Are Piglets Castrated?Īndrostenone (5α-androst-16-ene-3one) is a testicular steroid with a urine-like smell. The COST action Innovative Approaches for Pork Production with Entire Males (IPEMA), which has been running since 2017, aims to raise awareness of the issue and bring scientists and stakeholders together “to find general, region-specific or chain-specific solutions to facilitate the development of alternatives to surgical castration of piglets”. ![]() Depending on the constraints of the local context, the advantages and drawbacks of each alternative must be carefully considered. Moreover, there are still some countries, especially in Eastern Europe, where most stakeholders consider that the surgical castration of male pigs without pain relief is not an issue. Indeed, none of the available alternatives are fully satisfactory. ![]() However, 75% of male pigs are still surgically castrated in the EU. Alternatives to surgical castration without pain relief have been developed and are implemented in some countries. To account for that, in 2010, a number of European stakeholders committed themselves to stopping surgical castration by 2018, provided that satisfactory solutions are found to the various challenges associated with the production of entire (uncastrated) male pigs. Even if some countries in Western Europe have promoted the use of anesthesia or analgesia, the procedure is still often practiced without any pain relief and is therefore facing increasing criticism because of the pain inflicted to the animal as a consequence of the surgery. This procedure is motivated by the presence of boar taint in the meat from some entire male pigs. The surgical castration of male piglets has been a traditional practice for ages and is still common in most countries. With the currently available methods, the cost of combined anesthesia and analgesia is too high for conventional production systems in most countries. Anesthesia alone prevents pain during surgery, but not after, while analgesia alone mitigates pain after surgery, but not during it. Meat quality is similar to surgical castrates. Feed efficiency and carcass quality are intermediate between surgical castrates and entire males. Immunocastration prevents boar taint, pain associated with surgery, and stress related to aggressive and mounting behavior. The quality of meat from entire male pigs is lower because of boar taint, a reduced intramuscular fat content, and increased unsaturation of the fat. Feed efficiency and carcass quality are much better than in surgical castrates. Raising entire male pigs avoids pain at castration, but animals can suffer from increased stress during the finishing period because of aggressive and mounting behavior. It results in pain during surgery and markedly increases feed costs and the fat content of the carcass. Castration is mostly motivated by the presence of boar taint in the meat from some entire male pigs. ![]() This paper reviews the pros and cons of various alternatives to the surgical castration of male piglets without pain relief. ![]()
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