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Peñaranda I, Egea M, Linares MB, López MB, Garrido MD. Marinade injection of pork as a possible technological strategy to reduce boar taint: Response and attitude of the consumer. Meat Sci 2024; 212:109462. [PMID: 38402647 DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2024.109462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Revised: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 02/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/27/2024]
Abstract
Sensory evaluation by consumers allows validation of a solution for the food industry to overcome boar taint and market entire male pork with high levels of boar taint considered "unfit for human consumption". One possible technological strategy for improvement is the injection marination of entire male pork to help minimise the impact of boar taint and improve its marketability. The responses of 120 regular pork consumers, to entire males with high levels of boar taint and castrated pork, both injection-marinated, were evaluated. The results showed a similar response between entire and castrated male pork regardless of sex, and the detection of unpleasant odours and flavours (as farm/animal), thus offering a new alternative to the pork sector to mask the boar taint and revalue this pork. However, it was observed that consumer information on castration and animal welfare of entire male pork is scarce, and it is important to increase their knowledge so that they can place a value on this technological strategy with entire male pork and thus increase their purchase intention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Peñaranda
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Murcia, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Macarena Egea
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Murcia, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - M Belén Linares
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Murcia, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - M Belén López
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Murcia, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - M Dolores Garrido
- Department of Food Science and Technology, Veterinary Faculty, University of Murcia, Espinardo, 30100 Murcia, Spain.
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Pugliese M, Previti A, De Pascale A, Alibrandi A, Zirilli A, Biondi V, Passantino A, Monti S, Giannetto C, Lanfranchi M. Exploring Consumer Behavior and Preferences in Welfare-Friendly Pork Breeding: A Multivariate Analysis. Foods 2023; 12:3014. [PMID: 37628013 PMCID: PMC10453549 DOI: 10.3390/foods12163014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/07/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
This study investigates consumer behavior and interest in "welfare-friendly" forms of pork production, considering the growing presence of animal welfare-focused breeding practices. The aim is to outline the typical profile of pork consumers and identify the key attributes influencing their purchasing decisions. A survey was conducted on a sample of 286 individuals after excluding those who only consumed beef and/or poultry or identified as vegetarians/vegans. Regression coefficients (b), 95% Confidence Intervals (95% C.I.), and p-values were reported for univariate and multivariate models. Statistical significance was determined at p < 0.05 (indicated in bold). The findings indicate that younger participants show greater sensitivity towards consuming meat raised using welfare-friendly methods, raising considerations about the age composition of the sample. The research's originality lies in evaluating consumer interest in pork raised with animal welfare-respecting techniques. The use of appropriate statistical tools, such as multivariate and multilayer models, allows effective solutions for multidimensional hypothesis testing problems in non-parametric permutation inference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Pugliese
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via Umberto Palatucci, 98168 Messina, Italy; (M.P.); (A.P.); (V.B.); (A.P.); (S.M.)
| | - Annalisa Previti
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via Umberto Palatucci, 98168 Messina, Italy; (M.P.); (A.P.); (V.B.); (A.P.); (S.M.)
| | - Angelina De Pascale
- Department of Economics, University of Messina, Via dei Verdi 75, 98122 Messina, Italy; (A.D.P.); (A.A.); (A.Z.); (M.L.)
| | - Angela Alibrandi
- Department of Economics, University of Messina, Via dei Verdi 75, 98122 Messina, Italy; (A.D.P.); (A.A.); (A.Z.); (M.L.)
| | - Agata Zirilli
- Department of Economics, University of Messina, Via dei Verdi 75, 98122 Messina, Italy; (A.D.P.); (A.A.); (A.Z.); (M.L.)
| | - Vito Biondi
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via Umberto Palatucci, 98168 Messina, Italy; (M.P.); (A.P.); (V.B.); (A.P.); (S.M.)
| | - Annamaria Passantino
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via Umberto Palatucci, 98168 Messina, Italy; (M.P.); (A.P.); (V.B.); (A.P.); (S.M.)
| | - Salvatore Monti
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Messina, Via Umberto Palatucci, 98168 Messina, Italy; (M.P.); (A.P.); (V.B.); (A.P.); (S.M.)
| | - Carlo Giannetto
- Department of Economics, University of Messina, Via dei Verdi 75, 98122 Messina, Italy; (A.D.P.); (A.A.); (A.Z.); (M.L.)
| | - Maurizio Lanfranchi
- Department of Economics, University of Messina, Via dei Verdi 75, 98122 Messina, Italy; (A.D.P.); (A.A.); (A.Z.); (M.L.)
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Pesenti Rossi G, Dalla Costa E, Filipe JFS, Mazzola SM, Motta A, Borciani M, Gastaldo A, Canali E, Pilia F, Argenton M, Caniatti M, Pecile A, Minero M, Barbieri S. Does Immunocastration Affect Behaviour and Body Lesions in Heavy Pigs? Vet Sci 2022; 9:vetsci9080410. [PMID: 36006325 PMCID: PMC9414783 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci9080410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Castration of piglets is routinely practiced to prevent the presence of boar taint. In Europe, around 61% of pigs are surgically castrated, 54% of which do not receive any pain-relief therapy. The increasing public awareness towards animal welfare and the ethical characteristics of animal-derived products has led to the necessity of finding more animal-friendly alternatives. Among them, immunocastration, a process of active immunisation leading to the suppression of testicular function, has shown promising results in light pig production, both in terms of animal welfare and productivity. Besides, no study has yet investigated animal welfare in immunocastrated males intended for Italian heavy pig production. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of immunocastration on the welfare of heavy pigs by monitoring behaviour and body lesions in immunocastrated and surgically castrated pigs. Salivary testosterone levels and productive traits were also evaluated. Our results confirmed that immunocastration is a suitable alternative to surgical castration with profitable productive performance, whereas the higher activity of animals and the higher presence of body lesions before the effective immunisation caused an impairment of animal welfare, which should be further investigated as a critical aspect in heavy pig production. Abstract Immunocastration has been pointed out as an alternative to surgical castration; though, most of the scientific studies were performed in light pig production. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of immunocastration on animal welfare in heavy pig production through the evaluation of behaviour and body lesions. A total of 188 commercial-hybrid pigs were randomly allocated into two treatment groups: surgical castration (SC) and immunocastration with Improvac® (IC). Data on behaviour, body lesions, and salivary testosterone levels were collected the day before each vaccination at 15, 22, 32, and 36 weeks of age. IC and SC pigs were slaughtered at 40 and 41 weeks of age, respectively; productive and carcass traits data were also collected. Considering productive performance, our results confirmed that IC pigs grew faster and presented a higher weight at slaughter. A critical period for pig welfare was observed before 32 weeks: testosterone concentration and body lesion score were significantly higher in IC pigs compared to SC pigs; active behaviours were significantly more frequent in IC at 15 weeks. Immunocastration may represent a suitable alternative to surgical castration with profitable productive performances, whereas the impairment of welfare during the period before the effective vaccination should be further investigated as a potential critical aspect in heavy pig production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaia Pesenti Rossi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Università degli Studi di Milano, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Emanuela Dalla Costa
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Università degli Studi di Milano, 26900 Lodi, Italy
- Correspondence:
| | | | - Silvia Michela Mazzola
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Università degli Studi di Milano, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Ambra Motta
- Fondazione C.R.P.A. Studi Ricerche, 42121 Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | - Marzia Borciani
- Fondazione C.R.P.A. Studi Ricerche, 42121 Reggio Emilia, Italy
| | | | - Elisabetta Canali
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Università degli Studi di Milano, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Federica Pilia
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Università degli Studi di Milano, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Marco Argenton
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Università degli Studi di Milano, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Mario Caniatti
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Università degli Studi di Milano, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Alessandro Pecile
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Università degli Studi di Milano, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Michela Minero
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Università degli Studi di Milano, 26900 Lodi, Italy
| | - Sara Barbieri
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Università degli Studi di Milano, 26900 Lodi, Italy
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Lin-Schilstra L, Ingenbleek PTM. A Scenario Analysis for Implementing Immunocastration as a Single Solution for Piglet Castration. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12131625. [PMID: 35804523 PMCID: PMC9264866 DOI: 10.3390/ani12131625] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2022] [Revised: 06/12/2022] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The 2010 European Declaration aimed at abandoning surgical castration and switching to alternative methods. With an intention to facilitate the internal trade, the European Union (EU) was initially in favor of a single alternative. Immunocastration, as an active vaccine against the Gonadotropin Releasing Hormone, was proposed as a potential solution. However, its market potential is not yet well understood. This study applied the method of scenario analysis to examine whether and under what conditions immunocastration could be the general solution sought by the EU. Specifically, it developed two extreme scenarios. Both scenarios suggest that it is unlikely that immunocastration will become a single solution for all producers in the EU. Abstract Painful castration of male piglets to avoid boar taint can potentially be replaced by three more ethical alternatives: entire male production in combination with a detection method, immunocastration (an active vaccination against the gonadotrophin-releasing factor, GnRF), and castration with pain relief (anesthesia and/or analgesia). With the aim of abandoning piglet castration and facilitating internal trade, the European Union (EU) was initially in favor of a single alternative. Immunocastration was proposed as a potential solution, but it has not yet been sufficiently assessed regarding its market potential. To address this point, this paper uses scenario analysis to examine whether and under what conditions immunocastration could be the general solution sought by the EU. The study constructs two extreme scenarios: one in which all uncertain elements negatively influence the growth of immunocastration; another in which all uncertain elements have positive influences. These scenarios provide insights into the variance in possible futures for the implementation of immunocastration. The results show that it is unlikely that immunocastration will become a single solution for all producers in the EU, because it is not the optimal solution for all types of EU pork production systems (i.e., cost-efficiency oriented, quality oriented, animal-friendly oriented, import dependent). Rather than debating and looking for evidence about which single method is the best for the entire EU, EU authorities are advised to allow the co-existence of all alternatives and to develop protocols for applying them in the pork industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Lin-Schilstra
- College of Economics and Management, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
- Correspondence:
| | - Paul T. M. Ingenbleek
- Marketing and Consumer Behaviour Group, Wageningen University & Research, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands;
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Lin-Schilstra L, Backus G, Snoek H, Mörlein D. Consumers' view on pork: Consumption motives and production preferences in ten European Union and four non-European Union countries. Meat Sci 2022; 187:108736. [DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2022.108736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/11/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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Long-Term Immunocastration Protocols Successfully Reduce Testicles' Size in Bísaro Pigs. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11030632. [PMID: 33673476 PMCID: PMC7997316 DOI: 10.3390/ani11030632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 02/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Surgical castration is an ongoing problem in pig production, especially in breeds reared until older ages, like the Bísaro pig. To avoid this technique, three immunocastration protocols with different numbers of injections and times of inoculation were tested. Scrotal measurements were used to attest their effectiveness. The best protocol was the one with three administrations starting at three months old. It was able to maintain the testis size below puberty size for 16 weeks following the last injection. Abstract This study aimed to find a suitable immunocastration protocol for male Bísaro pigs (BP) due to the breed and production system particularities. Twenty-five male BP were treated with Improvac® according to three protocols: using two (GrpE2 and L2) or three vaccinations (GrpL3) and starting at 9 (GrpE2) or 13 weeks old (GrpL2 and L3). Eleven animals were kept as intact males (GrpC). Scrotal measurements and the morphometry of the testes and epididymides collected at slaughter were used to survey the effectiveness of the immunocastration compared with the age-matched intact controls. Animals in groups E2 and L3 were kept until 57 weeks, after a second vaccination cycle at 49 and 53 weeks of age. Scrotal dimensions decreased to almost initial values in treated animals until 17 (GrpE2) and 21 weeks (GrpL2 and L3), thereafter increasing to post-pubertal values until around 29 or 37 weeks of age for groups E2 and L2, respectively, but only at 41 weeks in group L3. Between 41 and 49 weeks, scrotal dimensions were similar in treated and control animals, decreasing to the predicted pre-puberty size after the second cycle of vaccination. This study suggests the most suited protocol for males slaughtered at older ages includes three administrations of Improvac® starting at 3 months of age, followed by a second vaccination cycle.
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