PCR Identification of Beef, Sheep, Goat, and Pork in Raw and Heat-Treated Meat Mixtures

Abstract

A PCR assay has been developed for the specific and qualitative detection of pork ( Sus scrofa domesticus), beef ( Bos taurus), sheep ( Ovis aries), and goat ( Capra hircus) in raw and heat-treated meat mixtures. A forward common primer was designed on a conserved DNA sequence in the mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA gene (rRNA), and reverse primers were designed to hybridize on species-specific DNA sequences of each species considered. The different sizes of the species-specific amplicons, separated by agarose gel electrophoresis, allowed clear species identification. Analysis of experimental meat mixtures demonstrated that the detection limit of the assay was 1% (wt/wt) for each species analyzed. This assay can be useful for the accurate identification of these species, avoiding mislabeling or fraudulent species substitution in meat mixtures.