Effect of feeding fermentable fibrerich feedstuffs on meat quality with emphasis on chemical and sensory boar taint in entire male and female pigs

Skatole, androstenone and other compounds such as indole cause boar taint in entire male pork. However, female pigs also produce skatole and indole. The purpose of this experiment was to minimise boar taint and increase overall impression of sensory quality by feeding entire male and female pigs with fibrerich feedstuffs. The pigs have been fed three organic diets for either 1 or 2 weeks prior to slaughter of which two diets contained different fermentable fibre-rich feedstuffs – 10–13.3% dried chicory roots or 25% blue lupines. These two treatments were compared with pigs fed with an organic control diet for either 1 or 2 weeks prior to slaughter. Lupines significantly reduced skatole in blood and backfat for both genders after 1 week. Moreover, lupines showed negative impact on growth rate and feed conversion whilst chicory showed no significant differences in this respect. However, the indole concentration was significantly lower in chicory than lupine fed pigs. From a sensory perspective, chicory and lupine feeding reduced boar taint since odour and flavour of manure related to skatole and urine associated to androstenone were minimised. The level of boar taint in the entire male pigs was most effectively reduced after 14 days by both fibre-rich feeds while lupine had the largest influence on ‘‘boar” taint reduction in female pigs

European consumers' conceptions of organic food: A review of available research

This report is a publication from the project entitled 'Recommendations for Improved Procedures for Securing Consumer Oriented Food Safety and Quality of Certified Organic Foods from a Consumer Perspective' (acronym: 'Organic HACCP'), supported by the European Commission, Fifth Framework Programme, Quality of Life and Management of Living Resources, and co-ordinated by Dr. Kirsten Brandt. The report includes a summary and 9 chapters, which respectively regard a statement of objectives and methods (Chapter 1), critical considerations regarding current approaches to consumer studies (Chapter 2), an overview of factors related to the production, distribution and regulation of organic foods, which differentially affect patterns of consumption in European countries (Chapter 3), 4 case studies regarding the consumption of organic foods and the contextual features influencing consumption patterns in Denmark (Chapter 4), United kingdom (Chapter 5), Italy (Chapter 6) and Hungary (Chapter 7). These case studies are followed by a summary review of trends in Europe with regard to consumer characteristics, buying behaviour and consumer concerns (Chapter 8), as well as a series of recommendations with regard to future research regarding the consumption of organic foods within the European region (Chapter 9)