Evaluation of Molecular Methods to Identify Counterfeits With Soy in Different Meat Products

Abstract

Soybean proteins are vegetal sources used currently in the meat product industry in order to increase the nutritional composition and to obtain products with characteristic sensorial properties. Due to the lower price compared to the animal origin proteins, these soybean extracts are frequently used as additives and not mentioned on the product’s label. The aim of this study was to evaluate the presence of the soybean DNA in meat products marketed on the regional area studied. Also, we wanted to assess if the soybean adding was genetically modified organism. The material chosen for this study was represented by 82 meat product samples, marleted on a regional area. The technique chosen for the DNA identification was the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) with specific primers for soybean lectin protein (LEC1) and EPSPS-B1 gene for genetically modified soybean. Our study showed that from the total amount of samples examined 6.09% (n=5) were found positive for soybean DNA, without being mentioned on the product’s label. No sample was found positive for genetically modified soybean protein adding in the meat products examined. We concluded that there is a relatively high risk of forgeries by soy protein adding in the meat products marketed in the regional area investigated. We recommend the further testing of meat products by the competent authorities in order to identify through standardize methods the genetically modified soybean presence..