Behavior of immunologically castrated boars compared to surgically castrated pigs

Boar taint is an unpleasant odor that can be found in pork and pork products from male pigs (and occasionally, to a lesser degree, in castrates and females). Compounds contributing to boar taint include androstenone, a pheromone, biologically related to testosterone and produced in the testes, that has biological meaning to the adult boar and sow during reproduction. Sows express a willingness to breed when androstenone is present. Other compounds, for example skatole, have no sex-related biological function, but have a tendency to accumulate in the meat of adult male pigs (boars) because of androgen dependent changes in liver metabolism. Pork containing boar taint is objectionable to many consumers and may impact buying and pork consumption patterns.