Marinate meat from the boar correctly

For the smell to go away: marinate meat from the boar
Boar meat is not very popular in this country, because the meat can smell unpleasant. By smoking or seasoning, however, the boar odor can be covered. So why not take advantage of the "masking effect" of sage and co. To marinate offensive boar meat? In fact, experiments by food technologists and ecotrophologists at Anhalt University of Applied Sciences show that the boar taint can be almost completely masked by marinating. At the university marinade recipes were tested especially for boar meat. Previous studies - funded by the Federal Program Organic Farming and Other Forms of Sustainable Agriculture (BÖLN) - had confirmed the masking effect of selected spices and smoke flavorings.

To mask the intense smell, boar meat should be marinated. Picture: exclusive design - fotolia

The effect of marinating on the sensory quality of boar meat was determined using marinated and grilled steaks in sensory studies. The marinades were based on oil, water or yoghurt. Since the substances responsible for the unpleasant odor, androstenone is fat-soluble and skatole is soluble in both fat and water, the scientists tested two water-based marinades and two oil-based marinades. The selection of spice combinations was based on the taste preferences of consumers: Mediterranean, oriental or hearty.

The result: The Mediterranean and the hearty marinade have the desired effect. "Even above-average levels of skatole and androstenone were noticeably less noticeable for the trained panel after two weeks of storage," emphasizes Sandra Warmuth of Anhalt University of Applied Sciences. It has also proven particularly useful to combine the spices with smoke flavors.

In addition, the use of rosehips proved to be successful. For boar fat is a high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids characteristic and it takes after a short storage a rancid taste. Rosehips contain plenty of vitamin C, which because of its antioxidant effect can prevent a rapid rancidity of the boar fat.

Less clear, however, were trials with lactic acid bacteria. Here it remained unclear whether they contribute to the degradation of androstenone and skatole: When testing a yoghurt marinade the boar odor remained. When the lactic acid bacteria were added in the form of sauerkraut, the boar macro disappeared.
From the scientists' point of view, the test results can also be very interesting for the processing industry: apart from smoke flavorings, almost all the ingredients and spices required are standard ingredients of a butcher's shop. The preparation of marinades requires little effort and marinated pork steaks are very popular, especially in the drill season with the customers.

And provided the legislature allows the marketing of odoriferous boar meat, especially for organic meat, the sale of boar products offers a good chance to convey the animal welfare idea. After all, in the eyes of many organic meat customers, a species-appropriate attitude also means that the animals remain physically intact. Nina Weiler, aid