**Background:** The EU recommendation to end surgical castration of piglets has increased production of entire male pigs, but boar taint—caused by lipophilic compounds androstenone (AND) and skatole (SKA) accumulating in fat—remains a major barrier to market acceptance. Traditional dry-cured sausages like fuet contain high fat (20–30%), which concentrates these compounds. While fat reduction could theoretically lower boar taint, it often compromises texture, juiciness, and flavour. This study investigated whether replacing pork fat with dietary fibres (inulin, β-glucan, grape skin) in fuet sausages could reduce boar taint while maintaining technological and sensory quality.
**Methods:** Thirty-one entire male pig carcasses with high boar taint were selected from 300 animals. Meat from carcasses with the highest levels (AND 6.887 µg/g, SKA 0.520 µg/g) was used. Three fuet formulations were prepared: Control (C) with 33.69% fat; reduced-fat R1 with 21.19% fat plus 6% inulin and 0.5% β-glucan; and reduced-fat R2 with 21.19% fat plus 3% inulin, 1% β-glucan, and 0.5% grape skin. Sausages were produced in two replicates, dried for 7 days at 4°C/80% RH then 3 days at 22°C/84% RH. Analyses included moisture and fat content (Soxhlet), CIELAB colour (Minolta CR-400), texture profile analysis (QTS-25 texturometer), and quantitative descriptive sensory analysis by 8 trained panellists using a 10-point scale. Statistical analysis used one-way ANOVA with Tukey's test (p < 0.05).
**Key Results:** Moisture differed significantly (p = 0.002): R1 (19.5%) was lower than C (21.4%) and R2 (21.3%). Fat content was significantly lower in R1 (26.9%) and R2 (26.2%) vs C (35.2%) (p < 0.001). For colour, C had the highest L* (48.4), R2 the darkest (41.7) (p < 0.001). R2 also had lower a* (9.1) and b* (5.2) vs C (11.6, 6.3) and R1 (11.7, 5.9). Texture analysis showed no significant difference in hardness (p = 0.212) or cohesiveness (p = 0.718). R2 had higher chewiness (202.0 mJ) vs C (147.8 mJ) (p = 0.002). Gumminess was higher in R1 (3348.7 g) and R2 (3341.6 g) vs C (2907.2 g) (p = 0.004). Sensory results showed boar taint odour was significantly reduced: C (4.3), R1 (2.8, 35.4% reduction), R2 (1.0, 77.6% reduction) (p < 0.001). Boar taint flavour similarly reduced: C (5.3), R1 (3.1, 41.6% reduction), R2 (1.0, 80.8% reduction) (p < 0.001). R2 scored highest for sausage odour (6.8), sausage flavour (7.0), and overall rating (8.0) vs C (4.9, 4.9, 4.1) and R1 (5.7, 5.9, 5.8) (all p < 0.001). No significant differences were found for homogeneity, acid odour/flavour, bitterness, cohesiveness, or juiciness.
**Clinical Implications:** This study demonstrates that fat reduction combined with dietary fibre addition—particularly grape skin—can effectively mask boar taint in dry-cured sausages made from high-taint entire male pork. The R2 formulation (3% inulin, 1% β-glucan, 0.5% grape skin) not only reduced boar taint perception by approximately 80% but also achieved the highest overall sensory rating, suggesting strong consumer acceptability. This approach offers a practical, non-surgical strategy for valorising boar-tainted pork, supporting EU animal welfare goals while maintaining product quality. The findings are directly applicable to the meat processing industry, though the fat reduction achieved (approximately 25% vs control) did not meet the 30% threshold required for 'reduced fat' labelling under EU regulations.