Meat Testing

Meat industry plays a vital role in contributing to the world economy locally, nationally and internationally. The demand for the meat and meat products all over the world substantially increases as the consumers in developing countries gain more purchasing power, providing a valuable superior quality protein in the diets of numerous people. It also contributes to sustainable livestock development, employment, developed secondary and tertiary industries and provides livelihood security for millions of people across the world.

Beef, pork, chicken, sheep, lamb, goat, horse, turkey, duck are among the most popular and nutritionally valuable food commodities. Examples of processed meat products include sausages, hot dogs, salami, canned meat, corned beef, dried meat, ham, cured bacon, smoked meat

Eurofins provide state-of-the-art analytical solutions for testing and analysis of raw meat, verification and testing of finished meat products, and process optimization.

Challenges Faced by the Meat and Meat Products Industry

Recently with covid-19 pandemic, meat industry has been going through some challenges along with several reported cases of risk of food fraud. This eventually results in the collapse of food service. Meat industry sector is more prone to illegal practices like replacement of meat ingredients with other animal species. Major meat safety related issues include traditional as well as new, emerging, evolving pathogenic microbes, resistance to antibiotics. Other pathological issues include cross-contamination of foods, meat animal manure disposal issues, foodborne illness, and food safety programs at the farm. Other challenges include food additives, chemical residues, animal identification, traceability issues, quality and safety of organic and natural products associated with it.

The EU Commission initiated an EU-wide program of control measures which incorporates random control of processed beef products for foreign DNA and analysis of residues of the veterinary drug phenylbutazone.

Eurofins is focusing on taking care and carrying out precautionary testing of meat and meat related food products in terms of food safety especially in current situations.

The importance of testing meats and related products and the need for keen vigilance will be needed by all in coming months as a precautionary measure. For this purpose, we are bringing our real-time PCR tests which will play an important role in ensuring meat and meat products safety.

Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 regulates and ensures the processed meat sector to supply safe and quality products so as to satisfy the wants of international trade and make the Indian food and meat industry competitive within the global market.

Today's demanding market requires animal products to be authentic and genuine. Species determination plays a central role in the regulation of the genuineness and marketability of a product. We offer several methods and reference procedures for animal species identification, including ELISA, qualitative PCR, quantitative real-time PCR and sequencing of mitochondrial DNA. Eurofins Scientific is currently the only international laboratory network capable of DNA detection of both horsemeat and of phenylbutazone, and potential presence of different species and a broad range of veterinary drugs and contaminants.

Services Offered by Eurofins for Meat Testing

• Eurofins provides an outsized spectrum of general meat
• DNA testing for identification of species by means of Real-Time PCR, and its confirmation by DNA sequencing
• Rapid Pathogen detection and microbiological Assays – Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella.
• Residue and contaminant analysis – Pesticides, heavy metals and elements, mycotoxins, radioactivity
• Chemical and Physical Testing, e.g., water content, nutrients, vitamins, trace elements, carbohydrates, protein, food additives
• Quality parameters - total volatile basic nitrogen (TVBN), histamine
• Sensory testing
• Highly selective, flexible adulteration testing using LC/MS based on clients' specifications
• Eurofins network of laboratories also provides testing services for halal products– Analytical methods employed for halal meat authentication based on lipid analysis include Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, two- dimensional gas chromatography and differential scanning calorimetry. Chromatography together with mass detection is suitable for the analysis of specific markers in meats.
• We also offer meat authenticity testing services for specific species listed below
  • Detection of Chicken Specific DNA
  • Detection of Lamb Specific DNA
  • Detection of Goat Specific DNA
  • Detection of Pork Specific DNA
  • Detection of Cattle Specific DNA
  • Detection of Buffalo Specific DNA
  • Detection of Horse Specific DNA
• Our expertise team will perform specific pathogens detection in the sample such as
  • Clostridium perfringens
  • Sulphite reducing Clostridia
  • Vero or Shiga toxin producing E. coli
  • Clostridium botulinum
  • Vibrio cholerae
  • Campylobacter
  • E.Coli 0157

The Eurofins Advantage

• Competence Centers with state-of-the-art equipment like high-resolution GC, HPLCs, GCMSMS, FTIR, ELISA, HR-MS, GC-MS, HPLC, LC-MS/MS, ICP- MS, Real-time PCR systems
• Fast turn-around time (TAT)
• Local contact with a Global Network
• Active participation in industry associations and regulatory bodies allowing prior advice on potential food scares and legal obligations
• Access for expert advice – on food safety
• Reliable results
• Internationally recognized

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