Duplex polymerase chain reaction for detection of pork meat in horse meat fresh sausages from Italian retail sources

Species identification in meat products represents an important subject in the field of modern food control according to the European Union, which has implemented a set of very strict procedures to label food. Thus, specific, sensitive and easy analytical methods for the species detection of food are necessary in order to verify the compliance with labelling requirements. A PCR-based assay for the detection of pork meat in horse fresh sausages was optimised and it was used to evaluate the presence of fraudulently added pork meat. The developed assay showed the presence of pork meat in 6/30 and the total absence of horse meat in 1/30 of the analyzed horse sausage samples.