Entire Males Research Articles

Influence of Immunocastration on Slaughter Traits and Boar Taint Compounds in Pigs Originating from Three Different Terminal Sire Lines.

Simple SummaryDue to the negative public opinion and welfare issues related to surgical castration, gradual introduction of alternatives like entire males and immunocastrates is taking place. Despite several economical and welfare advantages that the alternatives offer, numerous issues (i.e., boar taint, meat quality alterations), as well as their interactions with rearing and breeding (genetic) factors remain unanswered. Therefore, the focus of this study was to investigate the possibility of using different commercial sire lines in three male sex categories (entire males, immunocastrates, surgical castrates) and to compare their carcass traits, meat quality and boar taint compounds. A significant effect of terminal sire line and/or male category together with their interaction was observed for most of the investigated carcass and meat quality traits. The observed interaction should be taken into consideration when deciding on the production of a specific male category.The aim of the research was to investigate the influence of terminal sire line (TSL) and male category (MC) on carcass and meat quality of commercial fatteners. The study was performed on 180 pigs originating from three terminal sire lines: A (Pietrain × Large White), B (pure Pietrain), and C (Pietrain × Duroc × Large White), being assigned to three groups according to MC: immunocastrates (IC, n = 60), surgical castrates (SC, n = 60) and entire males (EM, n = 60). TSL affected most of the carcass and meat quality traits, together with the androstenone concentration. At the same time, MC had a significant effect on fat thickness, ham circumference, drip loss, cooking loss and androstenone and skatole concentrations. A significant interaction effect was observed for carcass length and ham circumference, as well as for most of the measured meat quality traits (except cooking loss, CIE L*, CIE b*, and Warner Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF)). Among the three investigated sire lines, immunocastration was shown to be most beneficial for fatteners sired by the TSL C. However, if deciding to raise EM, fatteners from the TSL B are recommended in terms of carcass and meat quality, although strategies for avoiding boar taint in their carcasses must be taken into consideration.

Prediction Of Carcass Lean Content In Live Pigs Using Scanoprobe Ultrasonic Machine

A total of 40 entire males within 60kg weight range from Large White control and selected crossbred improved indigenous pigs were used to study relationships between live and carcass measurements using the Scanoprobe ultrasonic machine. Within this live weight range the fat depths (P1, P2 and P3)and muscle measurements (MP2 and MLA) were more variable in the crossbreds than the purebred exotics although the carcass lean content, 365g/kg and 395g/kg for the purebred and crossbreds respectively were not significantly different. The fat depths, using the ultrasonic machine was a little lower than the actual values: 15.1 as against 16.6mm for P1 and 15.05 against 16.3mm for P2 with a residual standard deviation of 2.56 and 3.25mm respectively. Whilst the MLA gave values of 2886mm2 for ultrasonics as against 3025mm2 for carcass measurement with S.D. of 357 and 328mm2 respectively. Relative to the different fat depths measurements, the regression of carcass lean on P1 was -3.90±1.716 whilst at P2 and P3 it was -2.94±0.949 and -3.41±0.810gms respectively, resulting in a prediction equation for lean content of 57.85 - 0.751 P2 gm.

Sexual maturity as risk for development of deviant behaviours in pig production systems with entire males

Male piglets are castrated primarily to avoid the unpleasant boar taint in meat, and additionally for the predisposition of castrates to accumulate fat and for their lower risk of developing unwanted behaviours. There are two main strategies available for withdrawing from surgical castration: one is immunocastration and the other is to raise entire male pigs or boars. Additionally, raising intact boars is more profitable because of the production of carcasses with lean meat and better feed conversion. Boars (compared to castrates) exhibit more aggressive, sexual, damaging social behaviour and reduced feeding behaviour with a lower prevalence of sickness behaviour as a result of good health and low susceptibility to chronic inflammation. In this review, the behaviours specific for boars as a result of sexual maturity are reviewed, with an overview of differences in the behaviour of surgically castrated barrows, immunocastrates and boars reared in group-housed systems. The raising of boars allows for good welfare of these animals in early life, but later, on reaching sexual maturity, the welfare of boars can be diminished because of their propensity to aggression and more mounting behaviour than castrates. Innovations in the breeding and management of boars are needed to improve their performance and to reduce welfare implications of these animals raised in social groups, and in particular to minimize deviant behaviours towards pen mates.

Pre-slaughter factors linked to variation in responses to carbon dioxide gas stunning in pig abattoirs

The stunning process is an important component of slaughter with implications for animal welfare due to the potential distress and pain in the case of a sub-effective or lengthy stun. This study examined the factors correlated with variation in responses to carbon dioxide (CO2) stunning of pigs in five Australian commercial abattoirs. A total of 1 769 pigs (199–492 focal pigs per abattoir) were individually followed from lairage to post-stunning. A standardised observation protocol was used based on a literature review of the pre-slaughter factors that may influence the reaction to CO2 stunning, such as animal background, lairage conditions, handling, stunning system and conditions. Pigs lost posture 22.5 ± 0.2 s after commencement of descent of the gondola into the CO2 chamber. Latency to loss of posture was associated with farm of origin and time of day, which could be linked to various factors. Pigs that crawled or attempted to escape while in the gondola within the CO2 chamber took longer to lose posture. Crawl and escape attempts differed between abattoirs (0.6–46.2% of the pigs observed) as well as mounting other pigs (1.0–24.3%). Greater amounts of forceful contacts during handling in the race were related to more mounting in the gondola, but to less pigs crawling or attempting to escape. Mounting in the gondola was more frequent for pigs from lairage pens of mixed sexes, followed by pens of entire males and finally pens of females. Males were also twice as likely to show crawl and escape attempts than females. Gasping in the gondola was relatively frequent (63.1–81.8%) and was associated with higher activity in the lairage pen and higher skin injuries. Convulsions (60.1–69.6%) were generally observed after loss of posture. The type of CO2 system (group-wise vs single-file loading) had no significant effect on behaviour in the gondola. Nevertheless, pigs slaughtered in abattoirs with group-wise loading systems and automatic gates had lower cortisol concentrations post-stunning, which may be linked to minimal handling by stockpeople, other factors related to the systems, or differences in timing of when blood samples were taken. In conclusion, substantial variation in the reaction of pigs to CO2 stunning was observed between and within abattoirs using a uniform protocol for data collection. This variation in outcomes between abattoirs and stunning systems and the relationships between handling and behavioural outcomes indicates that improvements can be made to reduce aversive responses to CO2 stunning. In particular, avoiding mixing pigs of different sexes in lairage and aversive handling in the race may reduce aversive response to CO2 stunning.

The effect of immunocastration on adipose tissue deposition and composition in pigs

Immunocastrated pigs (IC) exhibit intensive fat deposition after immunisation, but the underlying mechanisms of intensified fat metabolism and deposition are not yet fully understood. Moreover, there is also a lack of comparative studies performed on IC, entire males (EM) and surgical castrates (SC). The main objective of our research was, therefore, to characterise the adipose tissue from the quantitative, histo-morphological and biochemical perspectives in IC 5 weeks after their immunisation in comparison to EM and SC. Immunocastrated pigs had an intermediate position in carcass fatness traits between EM (the leanest) and SC (the fattest). The histo-morphological traits of the subcutaneous adipose tissue of IC were similar to those of SC and differed from those of EM; i.e., they exhibited larger adipocytes in the outer backfat and a larger lobulus surface area in both backfat layers than EM. Intensive fat tissue development in IC was corroborated with higher activities of lipogenic enzymes (i.e., fatty acid synthase, malic enzyme, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase, citrate cleavage enzyme), which was especially pronounced in the subcutaneous adipose tissue of IC (1.5- to 2.7-fold higher activity than in EM or SC). The fatty acid composition of the backfat in IC was similar to that in EM pigs. Both IC and EM exhibited less saturated and more polyunsaturated fatty acids than SC. In contrast, the fatty acid composition of the intramuscular fat of longissimus dorsi muscle in IC pigs was more similar to SC than to EM (higher monounsaturated and lower polyunsaturated fatty acid content in IC and SC than EM). In this study, it was demonstrated that immunocastration notably influenced lipid metabolism. This was shown by increased quantity of lipid depots and with changes in adipose tissue cellularity compared to EM, with changes in the fatty acid composition of the intramuscular fat and enhanced lipogenic activity compared to both EM and SC. These results provide new insights into the specificity of adipose tissue development and deposition in IC compared to EM and SC.

Impact of increasing levels of condensed tannins from sainfoin in the grower–finisher diets of entire male pigs on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality

Sainfoin is a protein-rich legume with an ideal amino acid profile and therefore could partly replace soybeans in the diets of growing pigs. However, sainfoin also contains a non-negligible amount of condensed tannins (CTs), which can act as antinutritional factors. Bioactive plant compounds, like hydrolysable tannins, have been suggested to be suitable in entire male (EM) production, as they impair the development of accessory sex glands and, by that, reduce boar taint compound levels without negatively impacting growth. It is unknown whether, similar to hydrolysable tannins, CTs from sainfoin reduce the incidence of boar taint without impacting growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality. For the experiment, 48 Swiss Large White EM were assigned within litter to one of four grower (25–60 kg BW) and finisher (60–105 kg BW) diets supplemented with 0 (T0), 5 (T5), 10 (T10), and 15% (T15) sainfoin meal, respectively. The four diets were designed to be isocaloric and isoproteic. Increasing the dietary sainfoin level had no negative effect on growth performance or the carcass characteristics. Despite leading to a similar feed intake between the treatment groups, increasing the dietary sainfoin levels tended (P ≤ 0.08) to reduce the number of feeder visits but increased the time spent at the feeder as well as the feed intake per visit during the finisher period. By increasing sainfoin intake, the levels of C18:3n-3 and long-chain homologs linearly increased (P < 0.01) in the backfat and intramuscular fat (IMF), whereas in the backfat, but not the IMF, the 18:2n-6 levels decreased (P < 0.01). The latter triggered a greater (P < 0.01) desaturation rate (C18:1n-9/C18:0) of the saturated fatty acids, resulting in a greater (P < 0.01) proportion of monounsaturated fatty acid. Apart from a linear decrease (P = 0.02) in the androstenone levels in the longissimus thoracis (LT), increasing the sainfoin intake had no effect on the level of boar taint in the LT and backfat. As determined by the elevated correlation coefficient, skatole and indole levels, but not androstenone levels, in the adipose tissue seem to be reliable proxies for their respective levels in LT and, therefore, in pork. In conclusion, sainfoin is a suitable homegrown protein source for grower finisher pigs and can be included at up to 15% in the diet to replace 7% of soybean in a diet without producing any noteworthy effects on growth, whereas the impact of CTs on boar taint was limited.

Lactose and Digestible Maltodextrin in Milk Replacers Differently Affect Energy Metabolism and Substrate Oxidation: A Calorimetric Study in Piglets

Background:In recent years, lactose-free infant formulas have been increasingly used. Digestible maltodextrins are commonly used as a substitute for lactose in these formulas, but the effects on energy metabolism are unknown. Objective:We aimed to evaluate the differences in energy metabolism and substrate oxidation in piglets fed milk replacers containing lactose compared with maltodextrin as the only source of carbohydrates. Methods:Piglets (Tempo × Topigs 20) from 8 litters were fed milk replacers containing lactose or maltodextrin (28% w/w, milk powder basis) from 1 to 9 wk of age (n = 4 litters/milk replacer). At 5 wk of age, 4 females and 4 entire males (mean ± SEM bodyweight, 10 ± 0.3 kg) were selected per litter, and housed in 16 groups of 4 littermates, with 2 females and 2 males per pen (n = 8 groups/milk replacer). Between 7 and 9 wk of age, groups were housed for 72 h in climate respiration chambers, and fed their experimental milk replacer in 2 meals per day, at 08:30 and 16:30. Heat production data were calculated from the continuous measurement of gaseous exchanges and analyzed using general linear models in SAS. Results:Resting metabolic rate was 6% less in maltodextrin- than in lactose-fed piglets, notably before the morning meal. The postprandial respiratory quotient was 13% greater in maltodextrin- than in lactose-fed piglets after both meals. Net rates of carbohydrate oxidation were on average 5% greater in maltodextrin- than in lactose-fed piglets, particularly after the afternoon meal, whereas net rates of fat oxidation were 9% less in maltodextrin- than in lactose-fed piglets, particularly after the morning meal. Conclusions:Compared with lactose, maltodextrin in milk replacers reduced resting metabolic rate in the fasting state, and induced a shift in postprandial substrate oxidation profiles in pigs. Further research is warranted to evaluate the consequences of these metabolic changes for body composition.

Strategies to Meet Nutritional Requirements and Reduce Boar Taint in Meat from Entire Male Pigs and Immunocastrates.

Simple SummaryRaising entire male pigs and immunocastrates poses various challenges on how the nutrient requirements of these growth-efficient animals can be met. Applying the appropriate nutritional strategy will markedly affect the production efficiency and the carcass and pork quality, but will also control the incidence of boar-tainted carcasses. This paper reviews the current knowledge on the nutritional requirements of entire male and immunocastrated pigs to obtain an efficient growth, low boar taint level, and good carcass and meat quality. We present the reasons for offering entire males ad libitum access to the diets in order to optimize their protein deposition potential. Boar taint is one of the major issues in the production of entire males; therefore, the impact of various skatole- and indole-reducing feed ingredients is discussed regarding their efficiency and the possible mechanism affecting skatole and indole production in the hindgut. Entire males have lean carcasses, so their intramuscular fat content can be lower than that of surgical castrates or females and the adipose tissue can be highly unsaturated. The possible nutritional strategies to counteract these effects are summarized. We conclude that immunocastrates can be fed similarly to entire males until the second vaccination. However, due to the metabolic changes occurring shortly after the second vaccination, the requirements for essential amino acids are markedly lower in immunocastrates than in entire males.

Feasibility of on/at Line Methods to Determine Boar Taint and Boar Taint Compounds: An Overview.

Simple SummaryDue to welfare issues, the physical castration of male pigs is decreasing, and the entire male pig production is increasing. Fattening entire male pigs requires control due to the possibility of accumulating off odour/flavour called boar taint, which is mainly due to two compounds - skatole and androstenone. If carcasses with boar taint reach the market, it can cause a negative consumer reaction which may have economic consequences for the whole meat chain. Thus, it is necessary to sort out carcasses at the slaughter line. Today, a sensory quality control (human nose method) is used in some slaughter plants for this purpose. Detection by physical or chemical methods is also envisaged. A colorimetric method to determine skatole has been used in Danish abattoirs for decades, but it is foreseen that it will soon be replaced by the laser diode thermal desorption ion source coupled with a mass spectrometry equipment that allows a fully automated classification based on skatole and androstenone levels at speed line, with a delay of less than 40 min. Other potential methods such as the electrochemical biosensors, rapid evaporative ionization mass spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy, still need further development and validation for an application at abattoir level.Classification of carcasses at the slaughter line allows an optimisation of its processing and differentiated payment to producers. Boar taint is a quality characteristic that is evaluated in some slaughter plants. This odour and flavour is mostly present in entire males and perceived generally by sensitive consumers as unpleasant. In the present work, the methodologies currently used in slaughter plants for boar taint classification (colorimetric method and sensory quality control-human nose) and the methodologies that have the potential to be implemented on/at the slaughter line (mass spectrometry, Raman and biosensors) have been summarized. Their main characteristics are presented and an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) has been carried out. From this, we can conclude that, apart from human nose, the technology that arises as very promising and available on the market, and that will probably become a substitute for the colorimetric method, is the tandem between the laser diode thermal desorption ion source and the mass spectrometry (LDTD-MS/MS) with automation of the sampling and sample pre-treatment, because it is able to work at the slaughter line, is fast and robust, and measures both androstenone and skatole.

An Extended Photoperiod Increases Milk Yield and Decreases Ovulatory Activity in Dairy Goats.

Simple SummaryShort day length is associated with reduced milk yield in dairy ruminants possibly as animals prepare for the subsequent reproductive cycle. This study was conducted to determine the effect of an artificially increased daylength on milk production and ovulation in lactating goats. Increased daylength increased milk yield although the responses were only apparent during late lactation. Increased daylength reduced ovulation rate as lactation advanced although this reduction could be partially mitigated by exposing the lactating females to entire males. These findings suggest that artificially extending daylength can increase milk production and persistence while decreasing ovulatory activity in dairy goats.Short day length is associated with reduced milk production in dairy ruminants. Dairy ruminants have been kept in lit sheds during winter to extend the day length and stimulate milk production. However, there studies are few on the effect of an extended photoperiod on the ensuing reproductive performance of dairy goats. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of long day photoperiod (LDPP) and exposure to bucks on milk production and plasma progesterone and prolactin in dairy goats. The study was conducted in 122 non-pregnant lactating dairy goats over 18 weeks from April to August (late autumn and winter in the Southern Hemisphere). The goats were kept in open sided sheds in which the control treatment received ambient lighting while the LDPP treatment received 16 h of light, including artificial lighting. In June, July and August synchronised does were randomly assigned each month to the presence or absence of a buck and ovulatory activity determined from plasma progesterone. Plasma progesterone concentrations were reduced (0.73 vs. 0.46 pmol, p < 0.001) while prolactin concentrations were increased (0.095 vs. 1.33 ng/mL, p < 0.001) in LDPP goats. The former response was most marked in late winter (0.58 vs. 0.004 pmol, p < 0.001) indicating a lack of functional corpora lutea. While there was no overall effect of buck exposure on plasma progesterone concentrations there was a three-way interaction such that plasma progesterone concentrations were increased (p < 0.05) by exposure to bucks in LDPP goats in August (late winter) but not at other times. Milk production was increased in LDPP goats over the latter stages of the study (1. 55 vs. 1.82 L/d, p < 0.05). Also, persistency of lactation was greater in LDPP goats with fewer goats drying off (13 vs. 0%, p < 0.05). These findings suggest that LDPP can increase milk production and persistence while decreasing ovulatory activity in dairy goats.

On the Road to End Pig Pain: Knowledge and Attitudes of Brazilian Citizens Regarding Castration.

Simple SummaryWe conducted two surveys to explore the attitudes of Brazilians (n = 1209) towards different piglet castration methods (surgical castration without or with pain control and immunocastration) and the production of entire males. Qualitative analyses indicated that moral objection towards inflicting pain and suffering to pigs was the main reason for the greater support for all the alternatives compared to surgical castration without pain control. Yet, support for all alternatives was somewhat limited by concerns with reduced meat quality, which some participants associated with boar taint or other residues in meat. Moving away from surgical castration without pain control is a necessary step for the pig industry to retain its’ social license.We explored the attitudes of Brazilians towards different methods to deal with boar taint in pork (surgical castration without pain control, SC; surgical castration with pain control, SC+PC; immunocastration, IC; raising entire males, EM). Two surveys (Sv1, n = 441 and Sv2, n = 768) containing closed and open questions were conducted. Nearly 70% of Sv1 and Sv2 participants were unaware that meat of entire males may have boar taint and that SC is widely used in pig production in Brazil. In Sv1, acceptability of SC+PC (63%) and IC (53%) was greater than of SC (15%). In Sv2, acceptability of IC (55%) and EM (52%) was greater than of SC (18%). Open-ended responses indicated that participants objected to inflicting pain to pigs to attain a production goal, and were concerned with organoleptic traits and risks of exogenous residues in pork. Participants’ views regarding the potential increases in the cost of meat due to adoption of alternative methods varied; some argued that avoiding pain justifies an increase in the price of pork and others that this would impact especially lower income citizens. Our findings indicate that participants opposed surgical castration without pain control, and supported alternative methods. However, the concern with potential risks of presence of residues in meat, expressed by a few participants, may need to be addressed among consumers.

Amino and fatty acid profile, chemical composition and pork quality in entire males, castrates and gilts

Forty-two pigs, entire males, surgical castrates and gilts, was randomly selected for the experiment. After reaching the average live weight of 105 kg, pigs were slaughtered. Significant differences (P &lt;0.05) in contents of water and crude fat in muscle between entire males and castrates (74.44 vs 73.93%, 2.52 vs 3.14%), resp. of cholesterol between entire males, gilts and castrates (0.31, 0.33 vs 0.41%) were found. Significantly higher contents (P &lt;0.05) of almost the all amino acids in entire males and gilts compared to castrates were observed. In muscle, castrates had more eicosanoic fatty acid than entire males, and vaccenic than gilts whilst gilts and entire males had higher content of linolenic acid than castrates (P &lt;0.05). In adipose tissue, entire males had lower content (P &lt;0.05) of myristic, stearic, palmitic, and total saturated fatty acids than castrates or both castrates and gilts (1.39 vs 1.45%, 14.88 vs 16.90%, 25.41 vs 26.83 and 26.27%, 43.40 vs 46.70 and 45.53%). At the same time, they showed greater amounts of oleic (36.71 vs 34.95%), total monounsaturated (43.58 vs 41.35%), linoleic (10.29 vs 9.45 and 9.56%), linolenic (0.65 vs 0.59%), total polyunsaturated (12.06 vs 11.06%), n-6 (10.69 vs 9.83%) and n-3 (0.78 vs 0.71 and 0.72%) fatty acids than castrates or both castrates and gilts. Also, PUFA/SFA ratio was more desirable in entire males than those of castrates and/or gilts (0.28 vs 0.24 and 0.25). Based on these results, meat and adipose fat from entire males seems to be more beneficial from the human health point of view.

Exploratory Survey on European Consumer and Stakeholder Attitudes towards Alternatives for Surgical Castration of Piglets.

Simple SummaryIn many countries, surgical castration of piglets without pain relief or anaesthesia is still common practice. Castration is performed to minimise the incidence of boar taint, a bad taste (urine/fecal like), typically present in the meat of 5 to 10% of uncastrated male pigs. It also helps to avoid aggressive and sexual behaviour. For animal welfare reasons, alternatives are being considered, and in some countries, an alternative is already practiced. One option is to perform surgical castration with anaesthesia and relieve pain. A second option is to produce male pigs without castration, which requires detection of tainted carcasses in the slaughter house. A third option is to apply immunocastration: by a two-fold injection of a vaccine, the testes function is inhibited, which reduces boar-like behaviour and avoids boar taint. In this study, we evaluated the acceptability of each of these methods in 16 countries in Europe. Of the 4 presented options, the practice of surgical castration was least accepted (32%), whilst there was a high acceptance of castration with anaesthesia (85%), followed by immunocastration (71%) and production of boars (49%). The developed questionnaire and infographic can be used in future studies to further gain insights in consumer and stakeholder attitudes on this topic.Surgical castration of piglets without pain relief is still common practice in many countries. Possible alternatives for surgical castration are application of pain relief or anaesthesia or production of boars (entire males) and immunocastrates. Each of these alternatives faces advantages and disadvantages which may result in different citizen attitudes and consumers acceptability. Understanding which practice is acceptable to whom and why may further stimulate implementation. Consumer (n = 3251) and stakeholder (n = 1027) attitudes towards surgical castration without pain relief, surgical castration with anaesthesia, immunocastration, and production of boars were surveyed from April to June 2020 via an online questionnaire in 16 countries (>175 respondents per country). Surgical castration without pain relief was separated from each of the alternatives due to animal welfare and showed the lowest acceptability (32%). Within the alternatives, a further partitioning between the alternatives was based on perceived quality and food safety, with an acceptance of 85% for applying anaesthesia, 71% for immunocastration, and 49% for boar production. Differences depending on professional involvement and familiarity with agriculture could be observed, mainly for the acceptance of surgical castration without anaesthesia, immunocastration, and boars. Castration with anaesthesia was highly accepted by all types of respondents.

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

Simple SummaryIntroducing alternatives to surgical castration of pigs bring welfare and economical benefits, but also reveal several quality-related issues. Most important is the presence of boar taint, but also includes low quantity and quality of fat, meat texture and color deviations in addition to inferior water binding properties, most of them negatively influencing meat product characteristics. The present paper highlights the important differences between the conventionally used surgical castrates and the most likely introduced alternatives: entire males and immunocastrates. Based on the review of the available research, the possible reasons for quality alterations are elaborated according to the type of meat product and recommendations for improving product quality or preventing boar taint perception are given.Due to the strong public initiative in Europe and increased regulator focus to mitigate pain, surgical castration of pigs is being gradually abandoned, while the importance of other sex categories like entire males (EM) and immunocastrates (IC) increases. Although beneficial for animal welfare and economics, their use also brings forward several quality problems. Besides the occurrence of boar taint in EM, these include excessive carcass leanness, softer fat, meat color and pH deviations, inferior water holding capacity and increased meat toughness. In this paper, the raw material differences between the male sex categories and their influence on product quality are reviewed, and possible solutions are presented. Using EM for dried or thermally processed products may result in lower processing yields and inferior sensory quality, which may partially be prevented by applying specific processing adaptations. Immunocastration is a viable solution, especially when prolonging the vaccination to slaughter interval. Low to medium levels of boar taint can be effectively managed in most of the meat products, applying procedures like cooking, microbial inoculation or masking (by spices and especially smoking), while highly tainted material can be valorized only by combining various methods and/or with dilution of the tainted meat.

Effects of dietary roughage on organic pig performance, behaviour and antioxidants accretion in perirenal adipose tissue

This study aimed at investigating the effects of oat silage and sex on the growth performance, behaviour and antioxidants accretion in perirenal adipose tissue of organic pigs. In total, ninety-three crossbred pigs (51.8 ± 7.6 kg) from two sexes (entire males vs. females) were assigned to two dietary roughage supplement treatments (control with straw vs. 200 g dry matter/pig/day of oat silage supplement) in a 2 × 2 factorial design until 120 kg of live-weight. There was no significant effect of forage type or sex on growth performance. However, the oat silage had a positive effect on the exploration behaviour on the outdoor run fixtures. The retinol concentration in adipose tissue was higher in the pigs that were given the oat silage than in those receiving the control diet, but the feeding treatment did not affect the concentration of α-, γ- and δ- tocopherols. The oat silage carried out lower cholesterol accretion in adipose tissue than the control diet. The sex did not affect retinol, tocopherols or cholesterol concentration in adipose tissue. Dietary silage supplement may be used by producers to enhance pork vitamin A content.

Sex Differences in Intestinal Microbial Composition and Function of Hainan Special Wild Boar.

Simple SummaryThe gut microbiome plays an important role in the health and disease status of the host. This study explores the effect of sex on intestinal microorganisms of Hainan special wild boar, hybrids of wild boar, and local sows in Hainan. Results showed that there were sex differences in the composition and function of intestinal microorganisms. Our research provides a foundational reference for the future research on Hainan special wild boars and on sex differences in the microbiomes of other species.The gut microbiome plays an important role in the health and disease status of the host. Research on the effect of sex on animal intestinal microorganisms is still limited; and the effect of castration on the gut microbiome of male pigs has not been fully investigated. In this study, 30 Hainan special wild boars at the same growth stage were divided into three groups (10 entire males, 10 females, and 10 castrated males). High-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing was used to investigate the fecal microbiota of the Hainan special wild boar. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Spirochaetes, and Proteobacteria were the five dominant phyla found in the specimens. The relative abundance of Bacteroidetes was higher in the microbiota of female pigs than in male pigs, while Firmicutes was on the contrary. The percentage of Streptococcus and Lactobacillus was higher in males than females. The microbial diversity of females was significantly higher compared to males; castration increased the intestinal microbial diversity of males. Functional prediction showed that male fecal microorganisms were rich in membrane transport and carbohydrate metabolism; energy metabolism, glycan biosynthesis, and metabolism of cofactors and vitamins were rich in the female group; the fecal microorganisms of castrated males had higher membrane transport abundance.

Sensory quality of meat from Santa Inês lambs fed with guava (Psidium guajava L.) agroindustrial by-product

Abstract The aim of this work was to determine the sensory quality (flavour, odour, tenderness, juiciness and overall acceptability) and physicochemical characteristics of meat from Santa Ines lambs fed with diets containing guava agroindustrial by-product (GAB). Was used samples of the longissimus lumborum of 40 entire males with an average slaughter weight of 32.0 kg, after approximately 105 days in a feedlot. Animals were randomly placed into four treatments (10 replicates per treatment) and fed with different levels of GAB (0, 20, 40 and 60%). Among the attributes examined, only odour was not influenced by the GAB. Inclusion of 40% GAB in diets (in place of corn) produced meat which satisfied consumer demands in terms of fresh colour, although with less intense flavour and tenderness. Although the factors juiciness and overall acceptability did not differ among the highest levels of GAB, we recommend to use GAB addition of up to 40% to avoid compromising on animal performance and consumer sensory characteristics.

Dominance, reproductive behaviours and female mate choice in sterilised versus non-sterilised invasive male crayfish

Many methods of controlling invasive crayfishes have limited success because they fail to target all life stages of the population, notably by capturing only large adults that can result in increased juvenile recruitment by removing intraspecific predation. An alternative approach uses the sterile male release technique that involves the mass release of sterile males into the environment, which then mate with fertile females, resulting in unfertilised eggs and, ultimately, reduced juvenile recruitment. This does, however, rely on the sterilised males exhibiting behaviours similar to non-sterilised (entire) males and remaining attractive to females during mate choice. Post-copulatory male guarding behaviour and female promiscuity might also be affected by male sterilisation. To test for the presence of normal reproductive behaviours in sterilised male American signal crayfish Pacifastacus leniusculus, a two-stage experiment examined how sterilisation affects female mate choice and promiscuity, male hierarchical status (relative dominance) and post-copulation guarding. Sterilised males showed similar reproductive behaviours to entire males and remained as attractive to females, with no differences in relative dominance. Post-copulation, guarding behaviours were also unaffected. Females did not display promiscuous behaviour and this was unaffected by whether males were entire or sterilised. The results demonstrated that sterilised males were equally as capable as entire males of achieving dominance and winning mates. In combination, these findings suggest that male sterilisation could be an effective control technique to help reduce juvenile recruitment in wild P. leniusculus populations by reducing reproductive success.

Dataset of allele and genotype frequencies of the three functionally significant polymorphisms of the MMP genes in Russian patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, essential hypertension and peptic ulcer.

Data on the allele and genotype frequencies of the three functionally significant single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) genes (rs1799750 MMP1, rs3918242 and rs17576 MMP9) in Russian patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), essential hypertension (EH) and peptic ulcer (PU) are presented. Association studies identified these SNPs as possible significant markers associated with many multifactorial disorders, including POAG, EH, and PU. The frequencies of alleles and genotypes of the three SNPs in Russian patients with POAG, EH, and PU were presented separately for the entire study sample, females, and males, respectively. The data can be used as a reference for the Russian population.

Ultrasonographic measurement of adrenal gland-to-aorta ratio as a method of estimating adrenal size in dogs.

Adrenal size has been used as the principal criterion for differentiating a normal gland from adrenal hyperplasia. The objectives of this study were to establish an ultrasonographic measurement of adrenal gland-to-aorta (adrenal/Ao) ratio to estimate the adrenal size and to assess the effects of bodyweight, age and sex on the adrenal/Ao ratio in non-adrenal gland disease dogs. Two hundred and thirty-four dogs (120 entire females and 114 entire males) considered non-adrenal gland disease were included in this study. Dogs were allocated into three bodyweight categories (<10 kg, 10-20 kg and >20 kg), and four age groups (<1 year, 1-5 years, 5-10 years and >10 years old). Measurements of the maximal thickness of caudal pole of both adrenal glands and the aortic luminal diameter in sagittal plane were performed on the ultrasonographic images. Three different ratios were calculated for each dog. Sex and age did not influence on the adrenal/Ao ratio. There were differences (P<0.05) between the three dog sizes for adrenal/Ao ratio, being the highest value for small size and the lowest value for large size. In this study, only bodyweight influences the ultrasound measurement of the adrenal/Ao ratio in non-adrenal gland disease dogs.