Simultaneous identification of bovine and equine DNA in milks and dairy products inferred from triplex TaqMan real-time PCR technique.

The research article is about a newly developed technique called triplex TaqMan real-time PCR that can specifically identify bovine and equine DNA in milks and dairy products to detect potential adulteration.

Objective and Method

• The researchers of this study aimed to develop a method to identify possible adulteration in equine milk products. They speculated that these products, being more expensive, could be artificially mixed with less-expensive bovine items.
• The primary method they used is called the triplex TaqMan real-time PCR technique, which relies on species-specific TaqMan probes that identify specific DNA sequences of interest.
• The team also designed an endogenous control system that would simultaneously be amplified, ensuring that there are no false negatives in the results..

Process and Verification

• The researchers used this method to identify bovine and equine DNA in various products, such as cow milk, yogurt, mare milk, sour soup, and koumiss. They determined the limits of detection to be 0.001 ng for cow milk, yogurt, and mare milk, and 0.005 ng for sour soup and koumiss.
• The technique was then thoroughly validated using binary DNA and milk mixtures. It was tested for sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility. These experiments showed the triplex PCR assay to be a reliable and accurate method.

Conclusion

• The results showed that the developed triplex PCR assay can be an effective time-saving and cost-effective technique for differentiating between bovine and equine DNA. Such detection might be especially useful for verifying the purity of high-priced equine milk products that are susceptible to adulteration.