Histological and Molecular Evaluation of Raw Meatball Products

Meat is an important source of protein with high biological value. Due to this importance, the production and consumption of meat and meat products such as minced meat, salami, sausage, meatballs and roasted meat has been increasing rapidly in recent years. In order to earn more money, some companies sell animal meats that are not consumed by the society by mixing them into meat products without considering the health, habits, ethical and cultural values of people. In this study, it is aimed to examine whether there are undesirable tissues and muscle tissue belonging to different species in meat products by making histological and molecular evaluations in raw meatball products offered for sale. Evaluations were made by taking samples of raw meatball products offered for sale by 6 different well known supermarkets. In the results we obtained, it was observed that the integrity of the muscle tissue was not impaired in sample 1, but the presence of cartilage fragments in places. In sample 2, different sizes of tendon fragments and nerve fiber bundles were detected, with less muscle tissue. In sample number 3, it was observed that the integrity of the muscle tissue was not impaired and the spice pieces were excessive. In sample number 4, it was observed that the integrity of the muscle tissue was partially damaged. In sample 5, large tendon fragments and abundant connective tissue were detected. In sample 6, an image was detected, suggesting that it was caused by too much use of the additive. In the RT-PCR results, no tissue belonging to different species was found in any of the 6 samples we received. These results, in addition to being inappropriate in terms of public health and consumer rights, also appear as attempts to gain unfair financial gain.