PCR-based fingerprinting techniques for rapid detection of animal species in meat products

A reproducible, rapid, and simple method for simultaneous identification of multiple meat species in a single step DNA-based test has been developed based on the generation of species-specific fingerprintings by two different arbitrary DNA amplification approaches (RAPD- and AP-PCR). Samples representative of various species and meat products submitted to different processing conditions were selected to verify the applicability of the techniques. RAPD-PCR fingerprintings allowed the discrimination amongst pork, beef, lamb, chicken and turkey in all cases. Samples corresponding to each species were clustered together at similarity levels ⩾75%. The DNA profiles consisted of a discrete but reproducible number of bands, which made possible the interpretation of the results by simple visual inspection. AP-PCR also allowed identification of the five tested species in every sample although more complex patterns were generated, including some low intensity bands. In both cases, a ramp time between annealing and extension temperatures was introduced to achieve good reproducibility. Overall, the simplicity of RAPD-PCR patterns could make this technique suitable for meat authentication in routine analysis.