The Effect of Estrogen in the Elimination of Sexual Odor And on Growth and Carcass Characteristics in Boars

Abstract

An experiment to determine the feasibility of using DES or ECP for the elimination of sexual odor and flavor in pork from boars was conducted at Lajas Agricultural Experiment Substation. Implantation of 96 mg. of DES, or injection of an equivalent dosage of ECP eliminates sexual odor and flavor from boars, enabling the hog farmer to slaughter treated boars without previous castration at weaning time. Analyses of variance of the loin-eye area, depth of backfat, rate of gain and feed efficiency showed no significant differences when compared to pork from castrated animals. Results also demonstrated no significant differences in the organoleptic tests. The amount of residual estrogen per gram of treated pork determined by this experiment does not represent a public health hazard; it would be necessary to consume over 275 pounds of treated pork to ingest the therapeutic dose of 1 mg. of DES per day.