Award details

The molecular and nutritional basis of boar taint

Reference	D15079
Principal Investigator / Supervisor	Dr John McGivan
Co-Investigators / Co-Supervisors	Professor Olena Doran, Professor Jeffrey Wood
Institution	University of Bristol
Department	Biochemistry
Funding type	Research
Value (£)	300,440
Status	Completed
Type	Research Grant
Start date	01/06/2001
End date	01/08/2004
Duration	38 months

Abstract

Boar taint is an offensive odour which occurs in the meat of perhaps 5 percent of intact male pigs due to accumulation in the fat of the natural metabolites skatole and androstenone. Skatole is metabolised by hepatic cytochrome P4502E1 and skatole accumulation is thought to be due to abnormally low levels of expression of this enzyme. The project aims to elucidate the molecular basis of boar taint by defining the mechanism of regulation of cytochrome P4502E1 expression in pig liver and characterising the metabolism of androstenone and its interaction with skatole metabolism. The work will involve experiments on microsomes and isolated liver cells together with animal feeding trials and should lead to strategies for reducing the incidence of boar taint in intact male pigs.

Summary

unavailable

Committee	Closed Committee - Agri-food (AF)
Research Topics	X – not assigned to a current Research Topic
Research Priority	X – Research Priority information not available
Research Initiative	X - not in an Initiative
Funding Scheme	X – not Funded via a specific Funding Scheme

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