A multiplex PCR method mediated by universal primers for the identification of eight meat ingredients in food products

In this study, we developed a multiplex PCR system mediated by universal primers (UP-M-PCR) method that could not only effectively reduce the concentration of species-specific primers but also increase the detection flux. This method was used to detect components of dog, chicken, cattle, pig, horse, donkey, fox, and rabbit in foodstuffs simultaneously by amplifying gene fragments with different sizes. The amplified fragments of dog, chicken, cattle, pig, horse, donkey, fox, and rabbit have sizes of 181, 229, 287, 412, 451, 510, 570, and 678 bp, respectively. The sensitivity of the assay could reach 0.05 ng/mu L, which is adequate for food inspection. The accuracy of the test results of 103 commercial meat products from market demonstrated the effectiveness and applicability of the established assay. Accordingly, the specificity, sensitivity, and efficiency of the cost-effective assay developed on the conventional PCR platform make it a great promotion and application value in food inspection.