Detection of Meat Adulteration
using DNA based Methods
Detection of Meat Adulteration
using DNA based Methods
(FOOD FRAUD)
• Many studies worldwide emphasized that adulteration
of high-priced meat with cheaper meat, is one of the
most common examples of fraudulence prevalent in
meat industry without any consideration of economic,
religious or health implications.
• Recent surveys in UK, using ELISA technique, have
revealed that some meat sold as Halal contain pork
Why Detection of Meat
Adulteration
Given that the authentication of species in meat
products is crucial to protect the consumer and has
various implications:
(i) economic, since it leads to unfair competition
among producers;
(ii) religious, since the consumption of certain
species is not allowed in some religions;
(iii) ethical, reflecting lifestyles such as
vegetarianism; and
(iv) health concerns
Which fish did you eat?
• Fish restaurants now serving Tapper, Colmon,
Talatail?
• Tilefish sold as snapper, cod sold as salmon,
tilapia as yellowtail? DNA tests show it’s
happening frequently. Unfortunately, the
mislabeling isn’t limited to Asia. Alarmingly,
another NY Times article reports that similar
problems apply to fish in US restaurants, markets
and sushi bars. In this study, about one-third of
the 1,215 fish samples spanning 28 different
species of fish were mislabeled.
Food identification DNA based
methods
These methods include PCR-sequencing, PCR of
random amplified polymorphic DNA, PCRrestriction fragment length polymorphism
(RFLP), PCR using species-specific primers,
real-time PCR, DNA microarrays, short tandem
repeat (STR) markers, and single nucleotide
polymorphisms (SNPs)
Detection of Meat Adulteration
using DNA based Methods
• Numerous analytical methods that rely on protein
analysis have been developed for identification of the
meat-producing species.
• However, proteins are known to lose their biological
activity following animal’s slaughter while their
presence and characteristics depend on cell types,
most of them are heat-affected.
• Thus, for species identification, a DNA, rather than a
protein, analysis would be preferable
Detection of Meat Adulteration
using DNA based Methods
• Molecular genetic fingerprints for some
species commonly and not commonly, or
prohibitely used for producing meat and meat
products for human consumption
• Sensitive, accurate and rapid molecular
genetic technique for detection meat adulteration kit.
Detection food/ feed adulteration
with animal protein
• Does sheep cheese contain cow milk as well?
Is some pork mixed into the beef salami?
• animal ingredients contained in food and feed
can be safely detected
• The authorities must be able to verify the
zoological origin of animal-based foods during
official inspections, especially if, owing to
processing, the products can visually no longer
be attributed to a particular animal species
• As part of the project, various strategies for
differently processed food and feed are
pursued. In order to close the gaps in the
currently available methods in the feed sector,
the most realistic alternative is the use of
mass spectrometry in combination with
innovative peptide and protein enrichment
methods
• Compared to other methods, mass
spectrometry has the advantage that it is up
to ten times more sensitive. For less processed
food and feed, immunological rapid tests are a
good option. In contrast to current methods,
they can be conducted on site without the
need for specific expertise and a laboratory,
and they only take about ten minutes.