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Meat authentication and meat adulteration have become a growing global concern leading to consumers’ demand for accurate meat identification methods. Since existing methods for meat identification are cumbersome and require specialized equipment and/or training, we developed a specific colorimetric detection method that can rapidly identify horse meat as few as 0.1% contamination in xenogeneic meat sources within 1 h with no false-positive signals observed. Specificity analysis revealed no cross-reactivity with 14 other animal species. Therefore, a rapid on-site survey based on our method can be set up to identify undeclared meat in the food supply chain and contributes to an approach on food analysis by meeting the demands for quick and easy-to-perform analytical methods.

In this study, a simple and rapid high-throughput method for the detection of horse meat in processed food products is described. Specific loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) primers were designed to target the mitochondrial genome of horse (Equus caballus). No cross-reactions were observed for beef, pork, and chicken. Sensitivity tests showed reliable detection of 0.1 ng of extracted horse DNA. Spiking experiments were performed to show that the assay is capable of detecting 0.1 % horse meat in prepared model sausages, independent from their cooking time. Additionally, five different commercial horse meat products were analyzed to ensure the robustness of the assay when applied to varying food matrices. All experiments were performed on a heating block followed by visual detection using an intercalating dye. Results were confirmed by real-time fluorescence monitoring using a thermal cycler and compared to a previously published real-time PCR assay. In conclusion, this method is a good candidate for the simple and efficient testing of horse meat in food-products in the future.

Food-labelling regulations require that meat species in food and feed are accurately declared to the consumer. Traceability systems based on species identification through DNA analysis are potent tools for the supervision of food adulteration. In this study, a TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay targeting a short mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene fragment of 73 base pair (bp) was developed for detection of horse DNA in different commercial meat products for human and pet consumption. The method was found to be specific for horse and did not show any cross-reactivity with different species of mammals, birds, fish and plants. The assay complies with the acceptance criteria required for real-time PCR methods in terms of applicability, linear dynamic range, accuracy and PCR efficiency and showed to be sensitive allowing the detection of 1 pg of horse DNA. A range of food and feed products (n = 171) was screened with the horse-specific real-time PCR to determine whether a correct labelling had been employed at the market level. Results obtained when testing the meat products for human consumption were in agreement with the labelling description provided by the suppliers. In the case of the pet foods, undeclared horse meat was detected in 21 % of the samples at low levels, suggesting unintentional cross-contamination during processing. The reported real-time PCR methodology may represent a suitable tool for the detection of food mislabelling.