DNA-based identification of origin of red meat products in Ödemiş (İzmir) district

Meat and meat products are valuable food sources as they are a source of high quality protein substances. Mislabeling and adulteration of meat products pose significant challenges for this food group. Identifying the species origin of meat and meat products is important to protect consumers. Fast and simple methods to identify the origin of meat and meat products are important for authentication. Molecular methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) are one of the powerful techniques developed to detect and quantify adulterants in meat species. Among the methods, TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay is one of the current methods investigated for meat species identification. In this study, TaqMan qPCR method and species-specific primers and probes were used for the detection of bovine, sheep and chicken components in meat products. DNA isolation from meat mixtures of the samples was performed with Eurofins GeneSpin DNA Isolation Kit (Freiburg, Germany) following the manufacturer's protocol recommendations. With the help of standardized analysis kits, it was determined that the species origin of meat products could be distinguished even at a low concentration of 0.01 ng. The results of the study showed that the TaqMan RT-PCR method can be successfully applied to detect and deter counterfeiting and adulteration of meat products.