Assessing the use of rapid technologies for the detection of boar taint in carcases

Boar taint is characterized by an unpleasant odour of cooked pork due to excess levels of androstenone, skatole and indole, typically accumulating in fat. Boar taint is a risk for farmers as surgical castration, a preventative for boar taint, is being phased out due to welfare concerns. This study investigates the use of hyperspectral imaging (HSI), near infrared spectroscopy (NIR) and rapid evaporative ionization mass spectroscopy (REIMS) as technologies to detect boar taint in plant.