Undeclared Meat Species in Processed Meat Products from Retail Franchises in the Durban Metropole, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, Using Species-specific DNA Primers

This study investigated the authenticity of labelling and contents of meat products from selected retail franchises, using mitochondrial species-specific DNA primers. Sixty percent of mutton sausages and 100% of chicken sausages contained undeclared beef meat. Additionally, 33.3% of beef sausages were contaminated with pork and chicken meat, while 12.5% of beef patties were contaminated with pork meat. Of the beef sausages screened, 33% contained chicken meat. It was further observed that 25% of beef products did not contain beef or the other three meat species that were screened for. Of the interviewed retailers, 37.5% (3/8) acknowledged use of the same processing machinery for different meat species, 37.5% (3/8) used separate machinery for each meat type, and the remaining 25% used either separate or the same machinery, depending on the circumstances. Escalating meat prices and a decrease in economically sustainable meat production have been reported to contribute to the mislabelling and adulteration of meat and its by-products. However, contamination/adulteration of meat products detected in this study was most likely unintentional. The use of the same machine for processing different meat species without proper cleaning was most likely to have been the cause of contamination.