title: Development and validation of a TaqMan real-time PCR assay for the identification and quantification of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in food to detect food adulteration.
abstract: In order to protect the consumer from meat adulteration it is necessary to identify and quantify the meat content in foodstuffs. Game meat is particularly susceptible for fraudulent labeling since it is more valuable than meat from domestic animals. The paper presents a TaqMan real-time PCR assay for the quantitative determination of roe deer in meat products. The assay developed does not show cross-reactivity with 23 animal and 43 plant species tested and is therefore specific for roe deer. The amplification efficiency determined by analyzing serially diluted roe deer DNA extracts was found to be 93.9%. For quantifying the roe deer content in % (w/w), a reference system based on the myostatin gene was used. The quantification strategy was validated by determining the roe deer content in model meat mixtures and a model sausage. In addition, the real-time PCR assay was applied to the analysis of commercially available meat products.
authors.affiliation: Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Institute for Food Safety, Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Spargelfeldstraße 191, 1220 Vienna, Austria; Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 38, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Druml
authors.affiliation: Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Institute for Food Safety, Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Spargelfeldstraße 191, 1220 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Mayer
authors.affiliation: Department of Analytical Chemistry, University of Vienna, Währinger Straße 38, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: margit.cichna@univie.ac.at.
authors.forename: Margit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cichna-Markl
authors.affiliation: Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety, Institute for Food Safety, Department of Molecular Biology and Microbiology, Spargelfeldstraße 191, 1220 Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Rupert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hochegger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003670:Deer / Q000235:genetics*; D005504:Food Analysis / Q000379:methods*; D005506:Food Contamination / Q000032:analysis*; D008461:Meat Products / Q000032:analysis*; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*
keywords: Food authentication; Game meat; Quantification; Real-time PCR; Roe deer