Species-specific PCR for the identification of ovine, porcine and chicken species in meat and bone meal (MBM)

BSE, first identified in the UK in 1986 is thought to have arisen from feeding scrapie infected Meat and Bone Meal (MBM), produced under sub-optimal conditions, to cattle. For quality and safety reasons there is a requirement for a good analytical test for the surveillance of processed MBM. This study describes species-specific PCR assays for the identification of ovine, porcine and poultry species in MBM. A comparison between two distinct DNA extraction methods, i.e. the silica-guanidiumthiocyanate DNA isolation procedure and a commercial DNA extraction kit, is also presented. Application of this technology to species identification in industrial MBM was investigated as part of this study.