Consumer acceptability of roasted pork meat from uncastrated male pigs sold cooked and sliced in the self-service department

The aims of this study were to: - test consumer perception of the smell and taste of, and their intention to re-use, 4 batches of cooked loin pork with the fat removed, produced using meat from uncastrated male pigs with increasing androstenone levels; - define a threshold cap for the androstenone criterion beyond which it becomes risky to transform the loin pork into cooked roasted meat sold in the self-service department (based on differences in consumer perception of the product). Consumers do not appear to be put off by the smell, and appear not to notice any odour-active volatile compounds likely to still be present in the fat provided that the product is eaten cold. The product's low fat content provides another explanatory factor for these results. An androstenone content in excess of 0.5 &•6;g/g of fat might even improve the taste of the roast meat when eaten cold. A possible association with aromatic ingredients that mask the smell and orient the palate may make it possible to use loin pork from uncastrated male pigs for cooked roast meats sold in the self-service department and intended to be eaten cold. As a precautionary measure, it would be useful to indicate to buyers that the product is best eaten cold and not reheated. Likewise, there must be perfect control over the amount of fat removed from the pork loins.