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Accurate food labelling is of utmost importance for food safety and consumer choice in the food chain. Complete or partial substitution, whether intentional or unintentional, may introduce food pathogens or allergens to a product or affect personal or religious beliefs. Several studies around the world have reported different degrees of species substitution in meat products but no similar studies have been conducted in the Canadian market for sausage products. In this study, 100 raw meat sausage samples that were labelled as single meat species products (beef, pork, chicken or turkey) were collected from retail establishments across Canada and were surveyed for the presence of a panel of non-labeled species. The predominant meat species were determined using DNA barcoding and contaminant or unclaimed meat species were detected using digital droplet PCR using species specific primers and probes. All samples were also tested for presence of horse meat using real-time PCR. All samples contained the predominant species matching the label species except for five turkey sausage samples which contained chicken as the predominant species. Second, this analysis showed that 6% of beef sausages also contained pork, 20% of chicken sausages contained turkey while 5% contained beef, and 5% of pork sausages also contained beef. Five samples labeled as turkey sausage contained no turkey and one pork sample was found to contain horse meat. The overall mislabeling rate detected in this study was 20% and the results provide a baseline for assessing species mislabeling in processed meat products in Canada.

The recent horse meat scandal that rocked Europe in early 2013 shows how important it is for the routine food control authorities to constantly evolve analytical tools for the accurate evaluation of meat products among others, to ensure that product declaration and actual composition correlate. While in most cases qualitative detection approaches suffice for product evaluation, in other cases a quantitative analysis is important to distinguish between inadvertent contamination and deliberate adulteration. In this work an optimized real-time qPCR-based approach is presented and compared with another real-time based method for the detection of equine sequences among others in meat products. The method is a multiplex system for the simultaneous quantification of horse, beef, pork and sheep fractions, and was validated for use in the routine analysis of meat products. We describe a modular multiplex approach, where a quadruplex system (without sheep) and a pentaplex assay (with an integrated sheep detection system) can be applied in meat detection and quantification strategies. The analysis is matrix independent and relies on concomitant quantification of the animal species present in the food sample against the backdrop of myostatin, a universal sequence present in most mammalian and poultry species. The limit of detection of the analytical method was 10 genome copy equivalents. For validation of the method, meat samples comprising differing meat compositions were analysed, and the assay performed well in terms of robustness and reproducibility.

In this work, we evaluated the effects of thyme microcapsules on histamine accumulation by Morganella morganii both in pure culture and during the smoked horsemeat sausage-making process. To assess the expression of histidine decarboxylase (HDC) pathway-related genes, Reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was adopted. Further, relative parameters such as histamine concentration, microbiological growth, and pH were evaluated. Results revealed that thyme microcapsules inhibited the growth of M. morganii, and significantly (P

The final destination of the large volumes of horse meat produced in Mexico is not apparent. The current study therefore aimed to determine if horse meat is sold fraudulently under the guise of beef in Mexico and the levels of clenbuterol residues in samples. While more than a quarter of the sellers interviewed claim to know of suppliers for horse meat, only 7% would like to sell horse meat. Yet, 10% of the 433 samples tested positive for horse meat. The proportions of raw and cooked beef samples containing horse meat were similar at 9.5% and 11.0%, respectively. Burritos were the meat product in which horse meat was observed most prevalent at 28.6%, varying from 4.9 to 12.9% in the other meat and products. None of the samples from supermarkets tested positive for horse meat, whereas, at 18.2%, horse meat was most prevalent in the restaurant-type establishments. Clenbuterol was observed in all of the raw meat samples containing horse meat.

A novel common primer multiplex PCR (CP-M-PCR) was applied to detect four kinds of meats (chicken, cattle, pig and horse) as raw materials. A common adapter was designed in the 5′-end of species-specific reverse primers which matched with the species-specific DNA sequences for each species and also used as the common primer (CP). CP-M-PCR primers were designed to uncover different length fragments of 239, 292, 412, and 451 bp from chicken, cattle, pig and horse meats, respectively. The bands of specific DNA fragments amplified by CP-M-PCR method still appeared until the concentration of species-specific primers diluted to 0.015 pmol and primer sensitivity was increased by 100 times compared with conventional multiplex PCR without CP. CP-M-PCR detection limit of the DNA samples was 0.1 ng (36.4 copies) for single kind of meat as well as four kinds of meats. CP-M-PCR method simplified the PCR reaction system and conquered the disparate amplified efficiency from different primers. The CP-M-PCR method could be widely applied in practical detection for simultaneous identification of other meat species and their products.

Species identification in meat products represents an important subject in the field of modern food control according to the European Union, which has implemented a set of very strict procedures to label food. Thus, specific, sensitive and easy analytical methods for the species detection of food are necessary in order to verify the compliance with labelling requirements. A PCR-based assay for the detection of pork meat in horse fresh sausages was optimised and it was used to evaluate the presence of fraudulently added pork meat. The developed assay showed the presence of pork meat in 6/30 and the total absence of horse meat in 1/30 of the analyzed horse sausage samples.

Global incidences of food mis-description and adulteration are increasing and international food trade is disrupted by frequent disputes over food safety and quality requirements. This report attempts to present authenticity concerns and discusses the role of regulatory authorities to circumvent the issues relating to meat authenticity. Science based technological solutions to combat fraud or accidental mislabeling are discussed. Allowances for adventitious presence and religious concerns are addressed. In conclusion collective action by continuous monitoring scheme along with improved detection methodologies and stringent regulation on defaulters will certainly minimize or even eliminate authentication problems in future.