Abstract
Abstract Boar taint is an off-odour or off-flavour that develops in heated pork products from entire male pigs, which is caused by the accumulation of androstenone, a sex pheromone, in the fat. However, we have previously demonstrated that a significant amount of androstenone undergoes sulfoconjugation upon synthesis in the Leydig cells and circulates in the plasma primarily as a polar steroid sulfate. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if androstenone sulfate can be deconjugated within the adipose tissue by the sulfatase enzyme to return free androstenone and indirectly contribute to the development of boar taint. Backfat was obtained from 6-month-old terminal cross [Duroc x (Landrace x Yorkshire)] boars that had high (n=4) or low (n=4) sulfatase expression as determined by RT-PCR. Sulfatase activity in the fat was measured by quantifying the conversion of androstenone sulfate to free androstenone. Backfat was homogenized and the supernatant was incubated with [3H]-androstenone sulfate for 24-hours. Androstenone was extracted from the incubation using ether and steroid conversion was quantified using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Additionally, fat androstenone concentrations were quantified using an established HPLC procedure. Statistical analysis was conducted using a Student’s t-test. There was a significant difference (p=0.04) in the expression of sulfatase between the high (2.99 ± 0.67) and low (1.21 ± 0.19) sulfatase boars and the percentage of androstenone sulfate that was converted to free androstenone was proportional to the expression of sulfatase. Interestingly, the expression of sulfatase was positively related to the concentration of androstenone in the fat in boars with high sulfatase expression; however, this relation was not as strong in animals with low sulfatase expression. These preliminary results suggest that the development of boar taint may occur indirectly through the deconjugation of androstenone sulfate in boars with high expression of sulfatase in the fat.
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