Species identification in meat products by RAPD analysis

RAPD fingerprinting was used on several meat products to identify the species used in their manufacture. The tested species and products were: beef, horse (six breeds), mule, donkey, buffalo, elk, reindeer, pork, lamb, goat, kangaroo, ostrich, three apparently identical packages of sliced, frozen red meat, labelled as 'storfe' (cattle in Norwegian) and sold as beef, pork salami, boiled canned pork and 'Lammerull'. RAPD analysis produced clear fingerprints from the products analyzed from which the species could be easily identified. All the products were correctly labelled except one of the packages containing sliced frozen red meat sold as beef. This product did not contain any of the above-mentioned species and it was very likely neither a hybrid nor a different race of them. (C) 1999 Canadian Institute of Food Science and Technology. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.