Abstract
The fluctuations of skatole and indole concentrations, which affect consumers' preferences of pork meat, were examined in 128 porcine fats and the sensitivity of some Japanese panelists to skatole was evaluated. Skatole concentrations in castrated and female pig back fats obtained from commercial markets were found to be in a range of 0.00 to 0.20 μg/g. In spite of such a considerable variation, the median skatole concentration was 0.02 μg/g, and most of the fats investigated contained low skatole. The median indole concentration was also low, 0.01 μg/g, and most of the fats investigated showed low indole concentration. The skatole concentration in back fats was not influenced by sex (castrated or female). There were strong positive correlations among the skatole concentrations of subcutaneous fats from different positions and between the skatole concentrations in back fats and intermuscular fats. The sensory evaluation suggested fat containing 0.10 μg/g or higher skatole could have a negative effect on pork meat quality.
