CircRNA Profiling Enables Rapid Authentication of Duck Meat Adulteration in Mutton

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Molecular Biology
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Meat adulteration is a significant food safety concern.
• Traditional detection methods struggle with processed foods.
• Species-specific biomarkers are needed for accurate authentication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel method for detecting duck meat adulteration in mutton.
• To utilize ultrastable circular RNAs (circRNAs) as species-specific biomarkers.
• To establish a robust food authentication framework resistant to industrial processing.

Main Methods:

• Identified duck-specific circRNAs using high-throughput sequencing and bioinformatics.
• Developed a fluorescence-based dual-recognition platform combining BSJ-targeted RT-RCA and hairpin probes (HP).
• Assessed circRNA stability under harsh processing conditions (frying, autoclaving) and storage.

Main Results:

• Achieved a detection limit of 0.1% duck meat in mutton.
• Demonstrated remarkable circRNA stability under 180 °C frying and 121 °C autoclaving.
• Validated the method with 60 commercial samples, showing 98.89% specificity and 99.26% sensitivity.

Conclusions:

• Ultrastable circRNAs are effective species-specific biomarkers for meat authentication.
• The developed RCA-HP system provides a sensitive and robust detection method.
• This approach offers a reliable framework for food authentication resistant to processing and adaptable to other meat species.