Detection of species adulteration in pork products using agar-gel immunodiffusion and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

Mixing undeclared species in meat products is illegal under food labeling regulations. This study compared the conventional agar-gel immunodiffusion (AGID) with the Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) for detecting species adulteration and assessed the species adulteration problem in raw ground pork products in Alabama retail markets. Forty-two ground pork and 87 fresh pork sausage samples collected throughout Alabama were examined by AGID and ELISA for four species: pork, beef, poultry and sheep. Using ELISA, 91% of the ground pork samples were found to contain other meats while 71% were found to be contaminated using AGID. Using ELISA, 54% of the sausage samples were found to contain undeclared species while none were found to be contaminated using AGID. The major adulterating species in the pork products was beef followed by poultry and sheep. Reliable analytical methods, such as ELISA, must be used as a regulatory tool to discourage the meat species adulteration problem in retail markets.