Species-specific amplification for detection of bovine, ovine and caprine cheese

We developed and evaluated a PCR procedure to detect cheese species composition. Nowadays, some fraudulent or unintentional mislabeling still exists and may not be detected, resulting in a lower quality of the product. This situation has prompted research to find methods for the detection of cheese species composition. The PCR method was used to generate specific patterns for cattle, ovine and caprine. To confirm the effectiveness and the specificity of this method 45 cattle, 15 sheep and 5 goat blood DNA, respectively, (from different breeds) were tested, and specific results were obtained for each species. Sensitivity of the method was studied by DNA dilution in each species, detecting an amount of DNA up to 25 pg in all species. Species identification was carried out in 22 cheeses, obtaining a specific DNA profile for pure and mixture cheeses. This study demonstrates the usefulness of this PCR amplification to distinguish among the 3 species in cheese. This is an easier and cheaper method than others based on RFLPs-PCR, or other techniques, which need expensive equipment.