It is highly probable that apart from skatole, indole and androsthenone, there are other components for boar taint, according to researchers.

In a study, researcher Coen van Wagenberg from the Wageningen University and Research Centre (WUR) heated boar taint infected meat, caught its gases and separated them.

A panel then sniffed the various components and this way it became possible to point out new components that also contribute to boar taint in pork.

Van Wagenberg also researched the system in which people actually determine boar taint at the slaughter line. This is a possibility in practice, he said. He added that it is possible to schedule breaks as alertness may dwindle after a while.

Researchers also wish to investigate electronic boar taint detection and literature studies have been made. Van Wagenberg commented that a smell detector could be implemented, similar to those on airports for drugs detection.