Authenticity test of the processed meat products

Abstract

Different and related approaches must be considered to address consumers' concerns regarding the identification of species involved, mainly those of manufactured and derived meat products such as cured and canned meat and canned sausage. Therefore, the development of molecular techniques has been achieved by a mixture containing different shares of meat DNA. This study provided an important indication regarding the validity of the multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique in such tests. Based on the fact that the aforementioned method is qualitative; yet, the different percentages of meat DNA contained in the mixtures cannot be determined. Our current study showed that tracing back the origin of the ingredients used in food production is achievable, even if the DNA is degraded as a result of the food transformation processes. A PCR test was conducted at 35 cycles for mixtures at 100%, 75%, 50%, and 25% levels. Our results indicated that the original species of the meat products used were accurately determined in all mixtures tested by PCR technique. Therefore, we concluded that the PCR technique can be useful as a fast, easy to perform, and reliable control for adulterated consumer meat products.