Bassant H. Elsheikh1*, Riyad R. Shawish2, Zakaria H. Elbayoumi2

Abstract | Hundred random samples of some ready to eat (RTE) beef-based meat products, represented by Kabab, sausage, kofta, burger, and Hawawshi (20 of each) each weighted about 250 gm, collected from random restaurants of variable hygienic levels, located in Cairo and Menoufiya governorates, Egypt; for detection of their fraudulent substitution with inexpensive, lower grade, or forbidden meats, and investigate its safety for human consumption depending on their bacteriological quality. Accordingly, all collected samples of meat products were subjected to certain techniques including glycogen test, precipitation test, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to confirm their safety for human consumption. Furthermore, the fractionation of amino acids and fatty acids was applied to differentiate between sound and adulterated meat products. Referring to the obtained results by glycogen (%), precipitation test, and PCR techniques; 18, 19, and 19% of the examined samples were recorded to be adulterated with meats other than beef meat, which were furtherly supported by positive amino acids and fatty acid fractionation for equine and canine meat adulteration. Furthermore, E. coli, Salmonella species, and Staphylococcus aureus were detected in 57.9, 26.3, and 47.4% of the examined positively recorded as adulterated samples to possess a serious food poisoning potential, consequently of a public health hazard. Conclusively, the current study had thrown light some fraud practices in meat products with illegal additions of equine and canine meats, besides that molecular technique revealed as a specific, sensitive, and rapid method for detection of meat species adulteration; moreover, it is worthly recommended authorities to apply strict supervision over food manufacturing facilities for safe and wholesome meat production.

Keywords | Species substitution, Ready-to-Eat, Meat products, Adulteration, Multiplex PCR