Development of a polymerase chain reaction assay for species identification of goose and mule duck in foie gras products

Polymerase chain reaction amplification of a conserved region of the alpha-actin gene has been used for the specific identification of goose (Anser anser) and mule duck (Anas platyrhynchos x Cairina moschata) foie gras. Universal primers were used for the amplification of a DNA fragment containing three introns and four exons of the alpha-actin gene in goose and mule duck. Sequence analysis of the amplified fragments was necessary for the design of forward species-specific primers in the goose and mule duck alpha-actin genes. The use of species-specific forward primers, together with a reverse universal primer, produced amplicons of different length, allowing clear identification of goose and mule duck foie gras samples. Analysis of experimental mixtures demonstrated that 1% of duck can be easily detected in goose foie gras using the PCR method developed here. This genetic marker can be very useful for the accurate identification of these two species in foie gras products. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.