Development and validation of a multiplex <scp>PCR</scp> assay for simultaneous detection of chicken<i>,</i> turkey and duck in processed meat products

Abstract

Summary We developed a multiplex PCR assay for the efficient detection of chicken , turkey and duck meat. Three species‐specific primer sets targeting 12S rRNA gene of turkey and mitochondrial cytochrome b ( CYTB ) gene of chicken and duck were selected. A universal primer pair targeting 18S rRNA gene was additionally used as a positive control. PCR product sizes for endogenous control, chicken, turkey and duck were confirmed to be 99 bp, 133 bp, 163 bp and 204 bp respectively. The specificity of each primer pairs was evaluated in 20 animal species. The limit of detection of this multiplex PCR assay was 1 pg for all species. Furthermore, this method was successfully applied to 31 commercial meat samples and validated at intra‐laboratory. This multiplex PCR assay for the simultaneous identification of chicken, turkey and duck meat in processed products can be utilised to monitor various processed food products for food control and regulation.