Validazione di un sistema di PCR Real Time per la caratterizzazione genetica di specie in prodotti a base di carne e messa a punto di un sistema Multiplex PCR per l’identificazione di specie animale e la tracciabilità genetica

Due to the recent food scandals the public health protection has become over the last years a critical element on which today the EU has focused considerable attention. Episodes such as BSE, dioxin contamination and more recently the fraudulent manipulation of meat (horsegate), have negatively affected the European markets and highlighted the weakness of the agrifood system. To maintain a high quality and safety standards throughout the food chain, efficient systems are needed to put into effect in order to ensure a free of fraud food production. The identification of species in a food mixture is today one of the major concern because of the great variability of food products and it is therefore necessary an accurate control of the stated ingredients aimed to exclude both the presence of contaminants and the replacement of a high-cost species by a low-cost one. When the morphological analysis is no longer able to provide a valid aid to the identification of the species of a food product the molecular methods must be employed to meet these requirements.