Authentication of meat and meat products using molecular assays: A review

Meat species identification and animal authentication in meat products is an important topic that should be addressed in order to promote fair trade and allow customers to make informed decisions. It is also a major concern for practicing religious people. Protein or DNA measurements are used in many analytical procedures. Electrophoretic, chromatographic, and immunological approaches based on protein fractions are typically ineffective in distinguishing closely related meat species in processed foods. Molecular techniques for meat species identification have gotten a lot of interest in recent years because of their high sensitivity and specificity, as well as their short processing time and inexpensive cost. This review discusses an overview of the most common DNA and PCR-based approaches used to validate the authenticity of meat and meat products to date.