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Boar taint is the offensive odor or taste that can be evident during the cooking or eating of pork or pork products derived from non-castrated male pigs once they reach puberty. It is only found in a small minority of pigs and can be found in both males and females as the chemicals that cause the smell are produced in the intestines as well as the testicles. Studies show that about 75% of consumers are sensitive to boar taint so it is necessary for pork producers to control it.〔Bonneau M, et al "Contributions of fat androstenone and skatole to boar taint Sensory attributes of fat and pork meat" ''Livestock Prod Sci'' 1992;32:63–80〕 Women appear to be more sensitive than men and some ethnic groups also seem to be more sensitive than others. About 25% of consumers cannot detect the taint chemicals and about 80% of boar pigs do not have taint. Selecting pigs for breeding that do not have taint and managing on pasture virtually eliminate any chance of boar taint and have been successfully used at many farms. ==Controlling boar taint== For centuries, pigs in some countries have been castrated to prevent boar taint which can show up in a small percentage of boars in some breeds. Most boar pigs do not have boar taint and are slaughtered before puberty so it is not an issue. The long-standing practice in some countries sees male piglets castrated when they are 2–3 weeks old, while on many American farms castration typically occurs 2–3 days after birth. In some countries, such as Australia, pigs are slaughtered at a younger age. This is because the two natural substances that cause boar taint – androstenone and skatole – only start to accumulate in the fat of male pigs when they sexually mature. Skatole can actually show up in female as well as male pigs. It is produced by bacterial action in the intestines and deposited in the fat independently of castration – this is a management issue. Pigs raised on pasture do not have this problem although it is common to pigs raised in confinement settings. Slaughter at the standard six month age can help reduce the presence of skatole based boar taint and adrostenone based taint. Another possible method to control boar taint is to select the sex of the piglet before birth in an attempt to breed only female pigs, using sorting based on sex chromosome and artificial insemination. This method has been successfully used in cattle breeding but the technique is still under research and no economic or practical solution yet exists in pig production. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Boar taint」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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