Beef specific polymerase chain reaction assay for authentication of meat and meat products

► The self-designed primer pair based on D-loop of mitochondrial gene was employed. ► The developed beef specific assay differentiates the beef from other meat species. ► Even the developed PCR assay also differentiates beef from buffalo meat. ► This PCR assay detected up to 1 percent of beef in admixed meat and meat products. ► No adverse effect of heat and processing treatments were found on PCR assay.