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In order to support and protect consumer choice, strict labelling regulations need to be adhered to and misdescription by the food producer or vendor needs to be minimised. The Food Labelling Regulations requires a quantitative declaration (QUID) to be made for ingredients mentioned in the name of the food. Therefore, food items where a type of meat is specified in the name of the food will have to stipulate the amount of the named meat or meats the product contains. This is in contrast to the total minimum meat content required under previous regulations. Therefore, a qualitative and quantitative assay is required that will differentiate meat species and define the amount of each named species in the product.
Research Approach:<BR> This project aims to design and develop a TaqMan assay that will differentiate at least 5 different meat species through one mitochondrial target. The main intention of this project is to address some of the fundamental parameters that could affect the overall robustness and accuracy of quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction. The primary step in achieving the objective will involve analysis of meat samples of known provenance to determine any variation in detectable target when sampling typical meat tissues from different species and individuals. In addition, a secondary stage will seek to determine the analytical implications of assay parameters such as target choice, DNA extraction technique and tissue specific inhibition.
<p>Find more about this project and other FSA food safety-related projects at the <a href="http://www.food.gov.uk/science/research/" target="_blank">Food Standards Agency Research webpage</a>.