ABSTRACT. A method based on Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) – Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) analyses to determine the identities of meats species in meat products was assessed. Raw meat (control) and processed meat samples wereanalyzed bytargeting their cytochrome b gene. Universal primers, cytb1 and cytb2 amplified a fragment of the cytochrome b gene of approximately 360bp. The cytochrome b fragmentsdisplayed meat species-specific RFLP profiles when digested separately with restriction endonucleases RsaI, BsaJI, BstNI, AluI, TaqI, NsiI and BstUI. The identity of a meat was resolved by comparing the RFLP pattern of the processed meat to the RFLP profiles of the raw meats (control standards). The RFLP analysis showed that the processed beef products were contaminated with chicken while the processed chicken products were free from contaminant.
KEYWORDS.Cytochrome b gene; PCR-RFLP, amplicon