Application of species-specific polymerase chain reaction assays to verify the labeling of quail (Coturnix coturnix), pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) and ostrich (Struthio camelus) in pet foods

Species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays have been applied to verify the labeling of pet foods containing quail, pheasant, and ostrich. The method combines the use of quail, pheasant, ostrich, chicken, duck, pig and fish specific primers that amplify small fragments (amplicons <200 base pairs) of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene and a positive control primer pair that amplifies a 141 bp fragment of the nuclear 18S rRNA gene from eukaryotic DNA. The applicability of the assay was tested through the analysis of 100 commercial dog and cat food products. The reported PCR technique successfully detected the presence of the target species in 88 of the analyzed samples. However, the target species was not detected in 12 samples indicating a possible fraud in the labeling of these products. The results obtained suggest that the reported PCR method may represent a suitable tool for the detection of pet food mislabeling.