Bonn scientists develop forecasting tools for boar

The theme piglet castration has been discussed very emotionally in recent years. After much wrangling, it came at the end 2010 to a common European declaration of all players that early 2018 finally to put an end to the castration of piglets. Until then, many questions clarified and viable production methods must be established.

One of the main problems with boar fattening is possible odor deviations in the meat. The main cause is the sex hormone androstenone and the scab in the rectum caused by bacteria during the digestive process. The substance is absorbed by the body and stored in the fatty tissue. But what "stinks" one person does not notice another person, or it is perceived as pleasant in a low concentration (example perfume). The sense of smell is just individually very different pronounced. In addition, there is currently no Europe-wide recognized reference analysis for the measurement of the substances that are responsible for the boar taint - also working on a Bonn group. It must also be ensured that test procedures work in concert with production and above all reliably. Electronic noses for detecting odorous meat parts are currently not yet practicable.

As part of the Fin-Q.NRW project, which is funded by the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the European Union, Bonn scientists are developing risk-oriented testing strategies to test and validate them in practice. For example, meat juice, which is routinely tested for Salmonella anyway, is additionally analyzed for skatole. Since Skatol is also an indicator of intestinal health and thus the hygienic housing conditions of the animals, it is particularly well suited as a risk marker. Routine testing for haptoglobin also proved to be another appropriate indicator of animal health. The protein is found increasingly in the meat juice, if the animal had to fight with inflammatory diseases.

In collaboration with a major butchery, the project is also testing the suitability of video image techniques for gender recognition in the sorting process. The more accurate the detection, the easier the further selection of the carcass. And the lower the number of animals slaughtered, where an odor load is even possible, the lower the likelihood that odorous meat reaches the consumer. About breeding selection and housing conditions can be here another effect.

All raw data and results from scientific experiments and empirical studies are archived in a research and development database, which is currently being developed in the FIN-Q project. Through an interface, the database is connected to a simulation program that allows users to use the stored growth, health and quality parameters to predict health status as well as odor, taste and freshness parameters in sorting processes in the pork value chain.

Above all, internal and external quality communication must be improved in order to draw valuable conclusions from the abundance of already existing data and insights.

Source: Bonn [GIQS]