Pork detection in binary meat mixtures and some commercial food products using conventional and real-time PCR techniques

•PCR assay for species-specific primers was tested (290 bp) for pork DNA.•Real-time PCR was highly sensitive compared with the conventional PCR for detection of pork.•Limits of detections (LOD) of pork DNA are useful for the verification of processed meat products.•Real-time PCR could be an important tool against scandals and illegal meat trade.

Pork DNA was detected in meat mixtures using both conventional PCR and real-time PCR (RT-PCR). Thirty meat mixtures containing beef, chicken, camel, rabbit, goat and sheep with varying percentage of pork (0%, 1%, 5%, 10%, and 20%) and 75 commercial food products, were analyzed using conventional and RT-PCR to determine the presence of pork DNA. Pork DNA standard curves and cycle threshold (Ct) values were used for quantification. The detection limits for pork DNA in the mixtures were 0.22, 0.047, 0.048, 0.0000037, 0.015 ng/μl respectively. Unlike conventional PCR, RT-PCR detected pork DNA in nine processed food samples [chicken sausages (2), chicken luncheon (2), turkey meat loaf, milk chocolate with soft nougat, jelly, cake, and candies] at pork DNA concentrations of 0.0001 ng/μl or less.