Duarte Darlene Ana Souza, Schroyen Martine, Mota Rodrigo Reis, Vanderick Sylvie, Gengler Nicolas
TERRA Teaching and Research Centre, Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, 5030, Gembloux, Belgium.
J Appl Genet. 2021 Feb;62(1):137-150. doi: 10.1007/s13353-020-00598-w. Epub 2021 Jan 6.
Boar taint is an unpleasant odor in male pig meat, mainly caused by androstenone, skatole, and indole, which are deposited in the fat tissue. Piglet castration is the most common practice to prevent boar taint. However, castration is likely to be banished in a few years due to animal welfare concerns. Alternatives to castration, such as genetic selection, have been assessed. Androstenone and skatole have moderate to high heritability, which makes it feasible to select against these compounds. This review presents the latest results obtained on genetic selection against boar taint, on correlation with other traits, on differences in breeds, and on candidate genes related to boar taint. QTLs for androstenone and skatole have been reported mainly on chromosomes 6, 7, and 14. These chromosomes were reported to contain genes responsible for synthesis and degradation of androstenone and skatole. A myriad of work has been done to find markers or genes that can be used to select animals with lower boar taint. The selection against boar taint could decrease performance of some reproduction traits. However, a favorable response on production traits has been observed by selecting against boar taint. Selection results have shown that it is possible to reduce boar taint in few generations. In addition, modifications in diet and environment conditions could be associated with genetic selection to reduce boar taint. Nevertheless, costs to measure and select against boar taint should be rewarded with incentives from the market; otherwise, it would be difficult to implement genetic selection.
公猪异味是公猪肉中一种令人不悦的气味，主要由沉积在脂肪组织中的雄烯酮、粪臭素和吲哚引起。仔猪阉割是防止公猪异味的最常见做法。然而，由于动物福利问题，阉割可能会在几年内被禁止。人们已经评估了阉割的替代方法，如基因选择。雄烯酮和粪臭素具有中度到高度的遗传力，这使得针对这些化合物进行选择成为可能。本综述介绍了在针对公猪异味的基因选择、与其他性状的相关性、品种差异以及与公猪异味相关的候选基因方面取得的最新成果。关于雄烯酮和粪臭素的数量性状基因座主要报道在第6、7和14号染色体上。据报道，这些染色体包含负责雄烯酮和粪臭素合成与降解的基因。为了找到可用于选择公猪异味较低的动物的标记或基因，已经开展了大量工作。针对公猪异味进行选择可能会降低一些繁殖性状的表现。然而，通过针对公猪异味进行选择，在生产性状方面观察到了良好的反应。选择结果表明，在几代内降低公猪异味是可能的。此外，饮食和环境条件的改变可以与基因选择相结合以减少公猪异味。然而，针对公猪异味进行测量和选择的成本应该得到市场激励的回报；否则，实施基因选择将很困难。
