Investigation of methods to detect mechanically recovered meat in meat products - IV: Immunology

The possibility of using immunological techniques as a method for the detection of mechanically recovered chicken meat in meat products has been investigated in this preliminary study. Antibodies were raised against a low molecular weight fraction (≤ 30 kDa) of chicken bone marrow proteins and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) developed. The system was used to test for the presence of mechanically recovered meat (MRM) in a range of product types, from raw chicken meat through to heat processed samples. The results show that it is possible to raise antibodies to chicken bone marrow proteins which show a strong reactivity with chicken and turkey MRM but show little reaction with extracts of MRM and hand deboned meat of other common meat species. However, blood, skin and soya all affected the accuracy of the ELISA. This study has demonstrated the potential for the use of an immunological procedure as a rapid test for MRM. The selectivity of the antiserum would, however, have to be increased before this procedure could be considered as a suitable technique for the detection of MRM in meat products.