Detecting mislabelling in meat products using PCR-FINS

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Molecular Biology
• Forensic Science

Background:

• Economically motivated adulteration (EMA) of meat products poses health and religious concerns, particularly in developing nations.
• Species authentication in highly processed and cooked meats is challenging due to traditional Indian cooking methods.
• Previous studies have not adequately addressed meat speciation in processed products within South India.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of Polymerase Chain Reaction-Forensically Informative Sequencing (PCR-FINS) for identifying meat species in highly processed foods.
• To investigate the prevalence of mislabelling in processed meat products sold in supermarkets and restaurants in Kerala, South India.
• To assess the reliability of PCR-FINS for species authentication in challenging food matrices.

Main Methods:

• Applied PCR-FINS targeting mitochondrial cytochrome b and ATP synthase genes.
• Analyzed 106 processed meat products labeled as chicken, beef, carabeef, mutton, and pork.
• Investigated meat speciation in samples from supermarkets and restaurants in a South Indian city.

Main Results:

• PCR-FINS demonstrated reliability in identifying meat species even in highly processed food samples.
• Mislabelling was prevalent, detected in over 52% of mutton, 55% of carabeef, and 27% of beef products.
• The study identified specific rates of mislabelling for various meat products in the surveyed region.

Conclusions:

• PCR-FINS is a robust method for meat species identification in processed foods, crucial for detecting economically motivated adulteration.
• Significant levels of mislabelling in mutton, carabeef, and beef products highlight consumer protection issues in the region.
• Development of universal primers is recommended for broader species coverage in future meat speciation analyses.