A comparison of the quality of fresh and frozen pork from immunologically castrated males versus gilts, physical castrates, and entire males

• The study evaluated sensory quality of pork from immunologically castrated males.
• Immunological castrates were similar in boar odor and pork flavor to gilts and barrows.
• Other than marbling, no differences in quality characteristics were observed.
• Juiciness scores higher in fresh versus frozen product.
• Other than juiciness, there were no other sensory differences between fresh and frozen samples.

The objective of this study was to compare pork quality and sensory characteristics of pork from gilts, physical castrates, entire males, and immunological castrates. Loins (Longissimus thoracis et lumborum) were collected at harvest, aged for 10 days, and subsequently cut into chops and roasts. Two chops and one roast were frozen for a minimum of 14 days to a maximum of 30 days and chops and roasts from the same loin were evaluated in fresh form. A trained sensory panel evaluated the samples and results showed that gilt pork, physical castrate pork, and immunological castrate pork were similar in terms of boar odor and pork flavor. The evaluated pork quality characteristics showed no differences among sexes except for marbling in the frozen samples (P < 0.05). Results suggest that pork from immunologically castrated males is similar to pork from physical castrates in terms of sensory and pork quality characteristics and between fresh and frozen products.