IMPROVAC™ (PFIZER ANIMAL HEALTH): AN IMMUNOLOGICAL PRODUCT FOR THE CONTROL OF BOAR TAINT IN MALE PIGS (I)
J.D. Mackinnon and M.C. Pearce

Abstract
I. Boar taint and its control and the mode of action, safety and efficacy of Improvac™

Boar taint is caused primarily by the male steroid androstenone, and skatole - a bacterial metabolite of tryptophan. Potentially, taint is a major limiting factor to the marketing of pig meat derived from carcases of entire male pigs. Androstenone can only be detected by sensitive subjects who generally find the smell highly offensive, whilst skatole can probably be detected by nearly everyone. The occurrence of boar taint shows national, regional and seasonal differences which can be influenced, but not eliminated, by feeding and management practices. The most effective and widely practised method of controlling boar taint currently is the painful and undesirable procedure of surgical castration. However, the new technology of immunocastration, utilising the product Improvac™, offers a real and welfare friendly alternative.

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