A multiplex PCR-based approach for reliable identification of different meat species and possible adulteration in meat markets in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Abstract

Food authenticity issues in the form of adulteration and improper description have been around for a long time in Bangladesh. The adulterated food often enters the supply chain and jeopardizes the credibility of the sellers as well as health of the consumers. Molecular detection has been a reliable tool for animal species identification since many days. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is quite useful tool that is highly accurate and relatively faster in differentiating specimens derived from different animal species. The present study was carried out to validate previously described methods to identify different meat species by a multiplex PCR method and a preliminary molecular survey was performed on 60 meat samples for identification of possible adulteration in butcher shop in Chittagong. A multiplex PCR was developed and evaluated on the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene to differentiate in six meat species (chicken, duck, sheep, goat, cattle and buffalo). A common forward primer was designed on a conserved DNA sequence of the cytochrome b gene and reverse primers on species-specific DNA sequences from each species. By multiplex PCR, DNA bands of 157 bp, 227 bp, 274 bp, 331 bp, 398 bp, 439 bp were visualized that corresponds to meat samples derived from goat, chicken, cattle, sheep, duck and buffalo, respectively. There were no adulterated meat identified among the samples examined during this study, indicating fair economic business in the study area.