Rearing entire male pigs presents several benefits, including enhanced feed efficiency, reduced environmental impact, and improved animal welfare. However, the risk of boar taint poses a significant challenge to pork quality. The objective of this pilot study is to evaluate growth performance, meat quality and the incidence of boar taint in intact male pigs of the Bísara breed (BI) and a terminal cross (TC). Five pigs from each breed were monitored during growth and blood samples were taken to measure tainting compounds (skatole and androstenone). The meat quality was compared concerning its colour, pH, and water-holding capacity (WHC). Bísaro pigs have more intensive muscle colour, higher WHC, and higher intramuscular fat content (p<0.001). No significant differences were noted for pH (p>0.05). TC pigs demonstrated more consistent growth patterns and faster growth during later stages. Meat quality analysis revealed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) between the two groups in parameters such as thawing loss, moisture content, meat colour, and intramuscular fat, which favoured BI pigs. Conversely, TC pigs exhibited significantly lower levels of boar taint (p<0.05). The Bísara breed, which has not undergone intensive genetic selection, faces greater challenges in addressing boar taint compared to widely used commercial breeds. The emphasis on quantitative traits in BI breeding programs may have overshadowed the importance of qualitative traits. Therefore, exploring alternative and sustainable strategies to manage boar taint in Bísaro pigs is essential.

Azeitão is an appreciated Portuguese protected designation of origin (PDO) cheese produced following artisanal procedures using ovine raw milk, Cynara cardunculus L. flower and salt. Although its origins trace back to the early 1800s, limited research regarding the characterization of its microbiota is available. So, this work aimed to perform a microbiological characterization of Azeitão PDO cheeses and raw materials obtained from a certified producer throughout the 2020/2021 production campaign, focusing on Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) composition. The results showed that LAB content in cheeses exceeded 8.8 log CFU/g. Overall, lactococci and lactobacilli predominated over enterococci and Leuconostoc spp. strains. A Multiple Correspondence Analysis also identified L. curvatus, L. mesenteroides, L. plantarum, L. paracasei and L. lactis as crucial constituents of these cheeses´ microbiota. Milk matrices were associated with enterococci and L. rhamnosus strains, while curd shared a higher similarity with cardoon samples due to their content on Weissella spp. and enterococci strains. In the end, this characterization contributes to a deeper understanding of the scientific community, producers and the public in general, of the microbiota, especially LAB, that is associated with a PDO cheese, whose knowledge is so far scarce.

This study investigates the potential of Pinus pinaster subsp. atlantica bark, a forestry by-product from northern Portugal, as a source of phenolic compounds with strong antioxidant properties. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) was used to optimize recovery, assessing the effects of solvent composition (water, ethanol, and 50:50 water–ethanol), extraction time (15 or 30 min), and temperature (90, 110, or 130 °C) using a one-variable-at-a-time approach. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) profiling characterized the polyphenol composition. The results showed that solvent choice strongly influenced extract composition and bioactivity, with hydroethanolic and ethanolic extracts exhibiting the highest antioxidant activities in DPPH, ABTS, and ORAC assays. Optimal conditions—50:50 water–ethanol, 130 °C, 15 min—yielded 11.13% (w/w) extract, 3.10 mg GAE/mL total phenolics, and 2.01 mg CE/mL condensed tannins, comparable to commercial extracts such as Pycnogenol®. MAE proved effective, rapid, and solvent-efficient, enhancing phenolic recovery without degrading extract quality. These findings highlight the potential of P. pinaster bark extracts for biomedical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic applications, supporting the sustainable valorization of forestry residues and aligning with circular economy principles.

Aim of study: To assess the boar taint prevalence in the Portuguese pork industry through an observational study model by measuring skatole and androstenone levels in fat and to compare it with the estimated thresholds for these compounds among Portuguese consumers. Area of study: Portugal. Material and methods: Adipose tissue samples from 140 animals (102 entire males and 38 females) were collected in three Portuguese abattoirs for boar taint quantification. Cut-off limits were determined using best-estimate thresholds (BET) for skatole and androstenone. Main results: Boar taint quantification for the 140 animals revealed levels of 36.0±4.7 ng/g of skatole and 64.5±21.3 ng/g of androstenone, and values were significantly higher in males. Group BET values were 35.4 ng/g and 566.3 ng/g for skatole and androstenone, respectively. BET values were exceeded in 28.8% of the samples for skatole and 0.7% for androstenone. Research highlights: The investigation revealed a generally low level of boar taint in the samples of this small-scale study on skatole and androstenone prevalence in Portugal's pork supply chain. However, occasionally a significantly elevated boar taint levels suggest that relying solely on slaughtering sexually immature males might not fully resolve this issue.