EuTech Engineers

The chemical effects of aromatic herbs on

pigs’ meat

Axelle Pinet
Intern at EuTech Engineers
Student at Sup’Biotech Paris

Eutech Engineers Association VAT: G01825025 | PIC nº: 893173673 Address: Paseo de las Delicias, 30, 28045
Madrid, Spain +34 914 613 953 | eutecheng@gmail.com | info@eutechengineers.com
TABLE OF CONTENT

1/ INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 3
2/ ORIGINS OF PORK SMELL.......................................................................................................... 3
3/ EFFECTS OF AROMATIC HERBS ON PORK SMELL ............................................................ 3
4/ CONCLUSION AND COMMENTS ............................................................................................... 5
5/ REFERENCES .................................................................................................................................. 6
1/ INTRODUCTION

Over time, people's standards for meat quality have evolved. Today, it's harder to satisfy
customers' requirements and deliver surprises. Meat lovers are always looking for novel flavors,
textures, and even aromas in the meat they buy. Because of this, pig breeders are continually
developing new techniques to raise the quality of pork. The addition of herb combinations to
the feed is one of the most often employed techniques. This method aims to improve the meat's
aroma and make it more appealing to consumers. This page clarifies and sheds some light on
the subject.

2/ ORIGINS OF PORK SMELL

2.1 Odor coming from bacteria

Odor is a mixture of various compounds, of which four groups can be the main cause: sulfur-
containing compounds, indole, and phenolic compounds, volatile fatty acids (VFAs), ammonia,
and volatile amines [1].
The production of phenol, indole, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), and BCFA is positively
correlated with the bacterial species classified in the Firmicutes and Bacteroides phylum. The
formation of odors in the slurry is due to the incomplete anaerobic decomposition of organic
matter, especially proteins and fermentable carbohydrates. Microbial communities are the main
reason for the use of carbohydrate and protein degradation in slurries to produce different
odorants under anaerobic conditions, leading to the production of organic compounds such as
VFA. Many generations of bacteria participate in the production of VFA, including eubacteria,
peptostreptococcus, Bacteroides, streptococci, Escherichia, Megasphaera, Propionibacterium,
Lactobacillus, and Clostridium. Among them, eubacteria and Clostridium contribute
significantly to the production of VFA [2].

2.2 Odor coming from hormones

Boar taint is an unpleasant odor or taste that can occur when cooking or eating pork products.
Taste is created by skatole produced by microbial degradation of the testosterone derivative and
the intestinal amino acid tryptophan. The testosterone derivative 5-α-androstenone begins to
accumulate in the fat of the sow when the sow is sexually mature or exceeds 90 kg. Skatole, on
the other hand, is detectable in both male and female pork. This is not a problem as most wild
boars (80%) are odorless and slaughtered before puberty. However, according to a survey, 75%
of consumers are sensitive to boar taint, and women and certain ethnic groups are more sensitive
than men. High sensitivity indicates that producers need to manage them, despite the small
population of pigs. Castration has historically been the preferred management method, but
research is underway to find alternatives to reduce boar taint without castration, such as feeding
them with aromatic herbs [3].

3/ EFFECTS OF AROMATIC HERBS ON PORK SMELL

Aromatic and flavorful plants are essential factors that not only improve the taste of meats,
meat products, and meat substitutes but also help increase the nutritional value of the products
to which they are added.
Most meat in the world is processed. After processing, the meat is more prone to oxidation.
Aromatic, spicy plants and natural antioxidants are used to enhance these properties and
aromas. The most commonly used aromatic and spicy plants in the meat and meat analog
industry are parsley, dill, basil, oregano, sage, coriander, rosemary, marjoram, tarragon, bay
leaf, thyme, and mint. They contain chemicals such as polyphenols, flavonoids, quinic acids,
polypeptides, and alkaloids.

Figure 1: Skeletal formulas of phenolic acids and flavonoids, chemical compounds contained in aromatic herbs [6].

Some of these substances can act synergistically to increase biological activity. In addition,
these bioactive compounds have therapeutic values such as antioxidant and antiseptic
properties. They also contain antibacterial compounds that slow the growth of food
microorganisms [4].
Indeed, the results of the Grāmatiņa, I. study show the effectiveness of the tested herbs in
suppressing the growth of microorganisms and thereby extending the shelf life of meat and
meat products. The addition of spices and herbal extracts suppresses important pathogens such
as Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus in various meat products
(Hygreeva et al., 2014). Mechanisms of antibacterial action of phenolic compounds include
affecting membrane functions such as electron transfer, nutrient uptake, protein and nucleic
acid synthesis, and enzyme activity. Interactions with membrane proteins distort structure and
function (Zhang et al., 2010).
The optimum ethanol/water concentration for the extract was 50% / 50% to obtain the highest
total phenol concentration from dried nettle, lavage, oregano, and horseradish. Among the herbs
studied, the highest concentrations of total phenol are found in oregano and horseradish.
Extracts of horseradish, oregano, lavage, and nettle preserve pork. Considering the quality and
sensory properties of meat samples containing nettle extract, the shelf life is extended to 22
days and for horseradish, oregano, and lavage extracts to 32 days. There was a statistically
significant difference between the control sample and the meat sample containing the herbal
extract of TPC and the number of bacteria in the family Enterobacteriaceae. [5].

4/ CONCLUSION AND COMMENTS

The studies discussed in this article indicate that only some of the herbal additives may have an
influence on the odor of pork. Indeed, the highest concentrations of total phenol are found in
oregano and horseradish, which means that these herbs have the highest potential to modify the
odor of the pigs’ meat. In fact, bacteria are part of the main sources of odorants in pigs, and
phenol and indole groups, in aromatic herbs, have anti-microbial activity. Then, feeding them
with aromatic herbs can prevent the formation of boar taint. The scent of live pigs may be
improved by switching to a better, more well-balanced diet. However, no research on the scent
of flesh in living pigs has been discovered.
5/ REFERENCES

[1] Le, D., Verstegen, M., Aarnink, A. and Ogink, N., 2006, Odor from pig production: its
relation to diet.

[2] Jang, Y. and Jung, M., 2018. Biochemical Changes and Biological Origin of Key Odor
Compound Generations in Pig Slurry during Indoor Storage Periods: A Pyrosequencing
Approach. BioMed Research International, 2018, pp.1-13.

[3] Keenan, D., 2016. Pork Meat Quality, Production, and Processing on. Encyclopedia of Food
and Health, pp.419-431.

[4] Marc (Vlaic), R., Mureșan, V., Mureșan, A., Mureșan, C., Tanislav, A., Pușcaș, A., Marţiș
(Petruţ), G. and Ungur, R., 2022. Spicy and Aromatic Plants for Meat and Meat Analogues
Applications. Plants, 11(7), p.960.

[5] Grāmatiņa, I., Sazonova, S., Krūma, Z., Skudra, L. and Prieciņa, L., 2017. Herbal Extracts
for Ensuring Pork Meat Quality during Cold Storage. Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of
Sciences. Section B. Natural, Exact, and Applied Sciences., 71(6), pp.453-460.

[6] Maddox, C., Laur, L. and Tian, L., 2009. Antibacterial Activity of Phenolic Compounds
Against the Phytopathogen Xylella fastidiosa. Current Microbiology, 60(1), pp.53-58.