Development of a Polymerase Chain Reaction Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Rapid Authentication of Venison in Food Products

A novel polymerase chain reaction lateral flow immunoassay (PCR-LFI) test was developed to detect venison in food products in a rapid, inexpensive, and user-friendly manner. The LFI strips allowed the detection of PCR products within 5 min by reading the color signals with the naked eye. The PCR-LFI test uncovered a high specificity for venison with no cross-reactivity to 19 animal and plant species and enabled the detection of raw, oven-heated, and fried venison in binary mixtures with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.01% (w/w), which was lower than the LOD of PCR agarose gel electrophoresis [0.1% (w/w)]. In addition, the PCR-LFI test was applied to detect 15 commercial venison products, and the results were validated by PCR agarose gel electrophoresis. Given its superiority in terms of cost, reliability, and simplicity, the PCR-LFI test has great potential to be employed as a meat authentication tool in the food industry.