New articles and research on odor and quality of organic pig meat

Few days of feeding with chicory root reduces the boar taint in slaughterpigs and improves the eating quality. At the same time feeding with chicory root changes the intestinal environment and leads to a decreased incidence of swine dysentery and intestinal parasites. These results of DARCOF research may allow the production of entire male pigs without boar taint as reported in a previous newsletter.

Now a series of reviewed papers substantiating these and further results on organic pig production are available in Organic Eprints:

• Feeding with chicory roots reduces the amount of odorous compounds in colon and rectal contents of pigs
  
  
• Influence of chicory roots (Cichorium intibus L) on boar taint in entire male and female pigs
  
  
• Effect of organic pig production systems on performance and meat quality
  

Among the conclusions from the papers listed above are that:

- Feeding chicory roots decreased significantly the concentrations of the malodorous compounds, p-cresol, indole and skatole in samples that were taken from the contents in colon and rectum.

- Skatole concentrations in blood plasma and backfat at slaughter were reduced to almost zero levels by including crude or dried chicory or inulin in the diet. Dried chicory may be the most suitable form for commercial use because it: had no initial adverse effects on food intake, consistently reduced skatole without reducing performance, was easy to handle throughout the entire year and is relatively inexpensive.

New research project on effect of fructan-rich feedstuffs

In the new Danish research programme, DARCOF III, a series of experiments will highlight the effect of fructan-rich feedstuffs (e.g. chicory and lupin) on meat quality, food safety and intestinal pathogens in organic production systems. This will be done in the project PRE-QEMP.

Specifically, ongoing research test in groups of separate sex the effect of final feeding (1 and 2 weeks) with fructan rich feedstuffs (dried chicory and lupin) on boar taint and meat quality of female and entire male pigs. The purpose of the research activity relates to elimination of the need to castrate male pigs in organic production sysstems and at the same time increase the taste of the meat from both female and entire male pigs.

The project PRE-QEMP (pig health and pork quality related to fructan rich feedstuffs in the diet) is a subproject of a larger project on quality and production strategies related to organic eggs, chicken meat, and pork. The full amplitude of research within this project will be launched in 2007.

More information on the research topics in PRE-QEMP is available at the project homepage.