Boar Taint Smells Different to Different People, Probably

What smells like boar taint to you might not smell like boar taint to other people, suggests this study:

“How olfactory acuity affects the sensory assessment of boar fat: A proposal for quantification,” Johanna Trautmann, Jan Gertheiss, Michael Wicke, Daniel Mörlein [pictured here], Meat Science, Volume 98, Issue 2, October 2014, Pages 255–262. The authors, at the University of Göttingen, Germany, report:

“This study proposes tests for the psychophysical evaluation of olfactory acuity to key volatiles contributing to boar taint. Odor detection thresholds for androstenone and skatole are assessed as well as the subject’s ability to identify odorants at various levels through easy-to-use paper smell strips. Subsequently, fat samples are rated by the assessors, and the accuracy of boar taint evaluation is studied. Considerable variation of olfactory performance is observed demonstrating the need for objective criteria to select assessors.”

Here’s more detail from the study: