Development of a Duck Genomic Reference Material by Digital PCR Platforms for the Detection of Meat Adulteration

Low-cost meat, such as duck, is frequently used to adulterate more expensive foods like lamb or beef in many countries. However, the lack of DNA-based reference materials has limited the quality control and detection of adulterants. Here, we report the development and validation of duck genomic DNA certified reference materials (CRMs) through the detection of the duck interleukin 2 (IL2) gene by digital PCR (dPCR) for the identification of duck meat in food products. The certified value of IL2 in CRMs was 5.78 ± 0.51 × 10³ copies/μL with extended uncertainty (coverage factor k = 2) based on IL2 quantification by eight independent collaborating laboratories. Quantification of the mitochondrial gene cytb revealed a concentration of 2.0 × 10⁶ copies/μL, as an information value. The CRMs were also used to determine the limit of detection (LOD) for six commercial testing kits, which confirmed that these kits meet or exceed their claimed sensitivity and are reliable for duck detection.