Specific identification of chicken and soybean fraud in premium burgers using multiplex-PCR method

Abstract

The increased consumption of meat products, such as hamburger in large cities such as Tehran, has highlighted the importance of quality control for these products. Due to the escalating cost of red meat, and the difficulty of detecting adulteration in ground meat, the replacement of red meat with cheaper animal and plant proteins in these products is clearly possible. As a result, the aim of this study was to investigate the validity of labeling in premium hamburgers made of beef. In addition, the presence of soybean and chicken meat, which constitutes commercial fraud in premium hamburgers, was detected using a sensitive and quick multiplex-PCR method. In total, 10 specified brands of premium hamburgers purported to consist of beef were collected from markets in Tehran City, Iran. DNA was extracted from the premium hamburgers, then, simplex-PCR and multiplex-PCR fwere optimized using specific beef, chicken and soybean primers. The 118, 183, and 274 bp fragments, were amplified in all samples from soybean lectin, 12 s rRNA, and mitochondrial cytochrome b genes, respectively. The results indicated the addition of chicken meat and soybean in the premium hamburgers which were not indicated on their labels.

Rapid Detection of Porcine DNA in Meatball Using Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Couple with Lateral Flow Immunoassay for Halal Authentication

“…The reasons for meat adulteration happened because of economic profit [ 1 , 2 ] and untraceable cross-contamination via meat processing machinery [ 3 ]. Hence, a common situation of meat fraud because of economic profit would be either partially or entirely substitution of an expensive meat species with a similar or almost similar but cheaper one to reduce the cost of materials [ 4 ]. As for undetectable cross-contamination, it may happen when the same machinery used to process a different kind of meat species is improperly cleaned [ 5 ].…”

Where is the protein? An analysis of fast food in Mexico and its implications for Public Health

“…Hamburgers may be adulterated through the overuse of protein extenders. Among vegetables, soy protein is the best substitute for animal protein, these ingredients help to reduce the final product cost 16,17 . In some countries, such as in Brazil, only the maximum addition of 4.0% of "non-meat protein in aggregate form" is permitted 15 .…”

“…These additives may be used provided that their total percentage does not exceed the maximum allowed for each one. There are methods for quantification of soy protein, such as the isotope method and multiplex polymerase chain reaction 17,18 . Our study methodology is limited by not using this technology, which limits the counting of the percentage of vegetable protein found in meat hamburgers and chicken nuggets.…”

Rapid and Simultaneous Authentication of Six Laver Species Using Capillary Electrophoresis-Based Multiplex PCR

“…documented that a sheep-specific sequence (236 bp) retained its stability in processed meat samples undergoing boiling (100 • C for 90 min), microwaving (700 W for 30 min), and autoclaving (121 • C for 20 min) [9]. Another study reported that amplicons should be less than 300 bp for the sensitive detection of products severely damaged in high temperature processes [34]. The short amplicons increase specificity as they are less likely to bind to partially complementary sequences in the genome, thereby reducing non-specific binding and amplification.…”