IDENTIFICATION OF POULTRY MEAT FROM PORK AND BEEF ON THE BASIS OF THE TITIN PEVK REGION USING PCR

ABSTRACT

The possibility of distinguishing three kinds of meat species (chicken, porcine and bovine) alone or in two-component meat mixtures was investigated using the polymerase chain reaction. The contribution of each component in the meat mixtures ranged from 1 to 100%. The identification of meat was performed on the basis of the sequence coding the PEVK region of titin and by employing polymerase chain reaction. DNA was isolated from raw, fresh and chilled meat. The data presented in this study suggest that it is possible to detect chicken meat, pork and beef in meat mixtures on the basis of PEVK region by using PCR.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS

The polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a precise and quick technique that has many practical applications. Using PCR with primer sets designed on the basis of the PEVK region present in titin can be a convenient tool for species identification, especially for chicken meat mixed with pork and beef meat in two-component meat mixtures. Reliable and sensitive methods for species differentiation can give consumers confidence about authentic meat product composition.