title: Semiquantitative detection of male pork tissue in meat and meat products by PCR.
abstract: Consumer awareness has increased concerning castration of piglets without analgesia or anaesthesia. On the other hand the occurrence of boar taint is not tolerated by consumers. Currently no reliable methods exist for the on-line detection of boar taint in the slaughterhouse or for genetic sexing of pigs. Therefore, as an alternative the detection of male pork meat was sought. Based on detection of a length polymorphism of the sex chromosomal amelogenin gene a reliable, specific and highly sensitive PCR method for qualitative and semi-quantitative determination of male pork tissue in meat and meat products was determined. A set of 25 male and 25 female meat samples could be correctly identified and mixtures with as little as 0.1% male meat content could be detected. Therefore the method can be used for production and control of specific meat products containing low amounts of male pork meat and thus avoiding boar taint.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Food Quality and Food Safety, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Langen
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.forename: Ute
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Körner
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gissel
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stanislawski
authors.forename: Günter
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D053523:Amelogenin / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis*; D009919:Orchiectomy; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012730:Sex Chromosomes; D013552:Swine / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D053523:Amelogenin; D004247:DNA