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The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of 16-androstene steroids, skatole, size of accessory sexual glands and live weight on the development of boar taint in entire male pigs. In Trial I, 35 Yorkshire entire males were slaughtered at 116 ± 3.0 kg live weight. Levels of 16-androstene steroids in the salivary gland (STs), 16-androstene steroids in the fat (STf), skatole in the fat (SK), length of the bulbourethral gland (BG) and weight of the salivary gland (SG) were 44.2 ± 4.7 μg/g, 0.47 ± 0.06 μg/g, 0.20 ± 0.03 μg/g, 11.7 ± 2.2 cm and 63.50 ± 6.73 g, respectively. Samples of loin chops from the animals were evaluated by a trained sensory panel for the presence of boar odour and boar flavour. Sensory scores were correlated with all the investigated factors (P ⩽ 0.05). Boar odour was particularly well correlated with SG (r = 0.61) and BG (r = 0.60); the correlation with STs was r = 0.53, with SK was r = 0.46 and with STf was r = 0.44. Similar results were obtained for boar flavour. Therefore, both skatole and 16-androstene steroids had significant effects on boar taint. The best explanation of boar taint was obtained by combining measurements of skatole levels in fat and bulbourethral gland length. Trial II involved 36 Yorkshire pigs, 12 each of entire males, gilts and castrates, slaughtered at 104.6 ± 1.1, 102.8 ± 1.8 and 101.0 ± 1.6 kg, respectively. Entire males were chosen which had low levels of 16-androstene steroids (in salivary gland: 13.4 ± 1.5 μg/g; in fat: 0.49 ± 0.09 μg/g) and low levels of skatole in the fat (0.10 ± 0.01 μg/g) but long bulbourethral glands (11.3 ± 0.2 cm). Sensory evaluation performed by a trained panel revealed stronger boar odour and boar flavour from meat from entire males than from other genders (P ⩽ 0.05). The present results indicate that, although both 16-androstene steroids and skatole are important, they cannot completely account for the occurrence of boar taint detected by a trained sensory panel. Other factors, due to sexual maturity as indicated by the length of bulbourethral gland, are involved and should be considered when estimating boar taint in entire male pigs.