Development of a sensitive and specific multiplex PCR method for the simultaneous detection of chicken, duck and goose DNA in meat products

• Multiplex PCR was developed for simultaneously detecting chicken, duck and goose tissues from beef, pork, mutton or quail.
• The method has good specificity and sensitivity.
• The method was successfully used for the detection of 24 commercial raw or processed meat products.

Identifying the origin of animal species in manufactured meat products is of considerable economic, religious and sanitary importance. In this study, we developed a multiplex PCR method to simultaneously detect chicken, duck and goose DNA in meat products derived from beef, pork, mutton or quail. The PCR primers were designed based on the sequence of mitochondrial genes of each avian species, and the amplicon sizes were 131, 283 and 387 bp for chicken, duck and goose, respectively. The method had no cross-reaction with DNA isolated from beef, mutton, pork or quail, and generated products at a target DNA content as low as 0.05 ng, or a target meat content of 1% of total meat weight. Moreover, screening of 24 commercial meat samples using this method indicated that six, two and one samples were contaminated with chicken, duck, or both, respectively, suggesting its usefulness for the simultaneous identification of chicken, duck and goose DNA in commercial meat products.