An Automated DNA Extraction and PCR Analysis as A Rapid Method for Identification of Meat Species in Halal-Meat Products

Rising awareness of halal food quality and safety has increased the need for halal food authentication, which includes the identification of undeclared components and species substitution in meat products. Adulteration and fraud have become common in the meat processing industry as a result of technological advancements. Thus, there is a need for extensive research into analytical methods for determining whether materials such as processed meat ingredients are safe to consume and free of food-borne zoonotic threats. In this study, as a preliminary study, a fully automated DNA extraction system was used to isolate the DNA of several fresh meat samples. The extracted DNA was used as templates to detect the DNA of pork, bovine, and chicken, by designing various PCR species-specific primers targeting the mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cyt b), Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit I (Cox1), and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 5 (ND5) coding genes. The use of a fully automated DNA extraction system and primer-specific PCR assays to detect different species of meat in meat products will improve accuracy, speed, and reliability. This analytical technique has the potential to authenticate commercial meat products on the market with rapid detection and high accuracy.