Expected effects on carcass and pork quality when surgical castration is omitted - Results of a meta-analysis study

Alternatives to the common castration (C) practice of piglets are surgical castration under anaesthesia and rearing entire males (EM) or immunocastrates (IC). It is well established that boar taint hinders the breakthrough of these options. Less is known how avoiding surgical castration would affect carcass characteristics and pork quality. The objective of this meta-analysis was to estimate the impact of lack of castration on quality traits besides boar taint. The most marked effect of castration method and gender was found in lean meat and intramuscular fat percentage. Compared to EM, carcass leanness was estimated to be greater (P<0.05) and intramuscular fat level lower (P<0.05) than in C, IC and females. Regarding pork quality traits only the difference in shear force between IC and EM was of relevant magnitude. This meta-analysis revealed that the implementation of EM production should not be hindered by pork quality concerns. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.