Development of a species-specific PCR coupled with lateral flow immunoassay for the identification of goose ingredient in foods

Meat authenticity testing along food supply chain can be largely improved through fast and integrated DNA-based identification methods. A species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) coupled with lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) was developed for the identification of goose meat. The goose-specific primers that could specifically enrich a fragment on mitochondrial 12s RNA gene were successfully designed. The specificity of the primers was verified against 19 other species associated with meat fraud. The proposed PCR-LFI device was able to detect 0.01% (w/w) of goose in uncooked binary mixtures and 0.1% (w/w) in cooked binary mixtures. The LFI strip as a post-PCR visualization method was more sensitive and faster than gel electrophoresis method. Eight collaborative laboratories verified the reproducibility of fabrication and detection protocols of the developed LFI. This PCR-LFI method has great potential to be used as a fast and cost-efficient counter-measure for food industry and other regulatory bodies to reduce the possibility of fraud of goose products.