TaqMan real-time PCR: a reliable method to detect meat species

The aim of this study was to detect and identify meat species (beef, lamb, pork, chicken, donkey, and horse) in kebab as a halal meat-based food sold in on-road-restaurants of North Khorasan province (Iran) using TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Raw kebab samples (150 samples) were obtained from on-road restaurants. The samples were prepared, DNA was extracted and TaqMan real-time PCR using beef, lamb, pork, chicken, horse, and donkey target genes was performed. The results indicated that 100% of samples yielded positive results of beef, but none of them generated donkey and pork amplicons. The samples of kebab indicated 93.33% lamb, 83.33% chicken and 10% horse positive results. The information claimed for the source of meat was not correct for more than 95% of the samples and only one food center labeled the kebab mix correctly. Except for one kebab sample that showed a positive result for the presence of horse meat, no sample contained meat of species considered illegal in Halal foods.