Identification of camel species in food products by a polymerase chain reaction-lateral flow immunoassay

With an increased demand for camel meat, camel meat-related food products are susceptible to food fraud. To effectively authenticate camel-containing foods, a novel analytical technique based on polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-lateral flow immunoassay (LFI) was developed. The camel-specific PCR primers were designed to target at the mitochondrial COI gene. Both of the in silico and in vitro tests confirmed that the PCR-LFI was specific. A limit of detection of 0.1% w/w of camel meat in beef was achieved for both the raw and cooked (i.e. boiling and deep frying) meat samples. This novel method was used to authenticate 20 processed camel-meat products purchased from local grocery stores in China and online. Two products purchased online were identified as containing no camel meat. Overall, this novel PCR-LFI method is ideal for governmental laboratories to rapidly authenticate camel-meat containing food products.