Can sensory boar taint levels be explained by fatty acid composition and emitted volatile organic compounds in addition to androstenone and skatole content?

This study aimed at understanding which molecules were responsible for the differences existing in boar taint sensory evaluation. The latter was therefore linked to the results of skatole and androstenone chemical analyses, fatty acid composition and VOC profiles of heated backfat. This study confirmed that some discrepancy exists between chemical analysis and sensory evaluation of tainted backfats. Significant correlations between human nose scores and fatty acid composition were not revealed. Strong correlations between emissions and contents in skatole and androstenone were found. Oxidation products of polyunsaturated fatty acids, with fatty odor de-scriptors, were found to be more present in the VOC profiles of boar fat considered untainted through the human nose methodology. Weak coefficient of determination for partial least square regression indicates that other factors, yet unknown, are responsible for sensory evaluation outcomes. These findings hence support the idea that high human nose score is mainly due to boar taint compounds rather than general differences in VOC profiles.

Automated summary

This study aimed to understand the differences in boar taint sensory evaluation and found the correlation between molecules such as skatole and androstenone and the sensory evaluation of boar taint. The results showed discrepancies between the chemical analysis and sensory evaluation, no significant correlation between sensory scores and fatty acid composition, and a strong correlation between emissions and contents of skatole and androstenone. Additionally, it was found that oxidation products of polyunsaturated fatty acids were more present in untainted boar fat, suggesting that other unknown factors may be responsible for sensory evaluation outcomes.