How to identify old sow meat

Generally, what is sold on the market is boar meat, because boar meat is more delicate than sow meat, and sow meat is generally used to give birth to piglets, so it takes a longer time to be raised, resulting in the meat being very rough. However, some unscrupulous merchants will sell sow meat as boar meat, but it is difficult for consumers to distinguish the difference. So when buying pork, how should we distinguish whether it is old sow pork?

How to identify (differentiate) boar meat and sow meat?

Identifying sow meat:

Sow meat has a certain pungent smell and less fat content. After cooking, the muscles become harder, especially the skin, which has poor palatability and people are not used to eating it. It is easier to distinguish sows from normal fat pigs during quarantine, but it is difficult to distinguish sow meat sold in farmers' markets. Because most of the meat at this time is in quarters, the head, hooves, internal organs and reproductive organs cannot be seen. To distinguish and identify, it is mainly based on sensory examination, focusing on the skin, nipples, pelvic cavity, periosteum, muscles and fat.

(1) The skin tissue structure is loose, coarse, white, thick and hard, and the skin on the neck and lower abdomen is wrinkled. If the slaughtering time is long, the skin will shrink more significantly and lose its elasticity.

(2) The skin and subcutaneous fat are not tightly connected, and there is a thin layer of pink fat between the two, which is the so-called "red line". The subcutaneous fat layer is thin and the fat membrane is yellow-white. The pH value is 6.5-7.0. The older the sow, the more alkaline the pH value tends to be.

(3) Due to the thin subcutaneous fat, the muscles appear lean, the muscle fibers are rough, the meat fat is less, and it is often brick red.

(4) The nipples are large, long and smooth. The base of the nipple is large and cone-shaped. There are mammary glands on both sides of the breasts. When cut open, they appear grayish white or brown. The mammary glands extend deep into the fat layer, resembling a honeycomb. The pores around the breasts are large and sparse.

(5) The ribs are generally flat and wide, with a yellowish periosteum. The ribs of older sows are prominent. The ribs of normal pigs are bluish-red.

Identifying Boar Meat:

Boar meat is not easy to cook. Because boar meat contains hormones such as testosterone, it often has a fishy smell and people are reluctant to eat it. This smell is difficult to smell in the low temperature of winter, and it is emitted in large quantities during cooking, making it inedible. In addition, this odor will gradually weaken as the time of castration increases and will disappear after about 2.5 months.

1. Main characteristics of boars

(1) The skin is thick, hard and white, the cut surface is dry, and the skin on both shoulder blades is brown. The shoulder blades of old boars are keratinized, hard when cut, and have great resistance.

(2) The boundary between the skin and subcutaneous fat is unclear, the subcutaneous fat layer is thin, the fat particles are coarse, and there is a lot of white loose connective tissue around the fat particles. By cutting open the subabdominal fat, you can see a clear network of capillaries.

(3) The pores are coarse and sparse, and the skin is bluish white or black.

(4) Muscles are red, and muscle fibers, especially those in the buttocks, shoulders, and neck, are dark red and dull. Because the body contains substances such as testosterone and m-methylindolizine, muscles have a special fishy smell.

(5) Castrated testicular skin can sometimes be seen on both sides of the midline of the posterior buttocks. The shoulder blade of an old pig has an oval cartilage surface that is usually calcified.

Boars generally have a strong sexual odor, which is particularly obvious after being cooked. To make the smell more obvious, you can burn local tissue parts, or cut off pieces of meat and boil, fry, etc.

2. Simple method to identify boar meat

(1) Boiling method: Take a meat sample from the body to be tested and cut it into about 20 small pieces weighing 2 to 3 grams. Put them into a flask filled with clean cold water, cover the flask mouth, and open the lid after boiling. Immediately smell it for any fishy odor.

(2) Burning method: Use a hot iron to burn the scrotum, waist or lower crotch, and smell the fishy odor emitted.

(3) Fat melting method: Take 2 pieces of back fat or abdominal fat, weighing about 40g, and put them into a conical flask. Cover the flask mouth and place it in boiling water. When the fat begins to melt, open the flask stopper and smell the escaping steam to see if there is any fishy smell.