Detection of species fraud in meat products is important for consumer protection and food industries. A molecular technique such as PCR method for detection of beef, sheep, pork, chicken, donkey, and horse meats in food products was established. The purpose of this study was to identification of fraud and adulteration in industrial meat products by PCR-RFLP assay in Iran. In present study, 224 meat products include 68 sausages, 48 frankfurters, 55 hamburgers, 33 hams and 20 cold cut meats were collected from different companies and food markets in Iran. Genomic DNA was extracted and PCR was performed for gene amplification of meat species using specific oligonucleotid primers. Raw meat samples are served as the positive control. For differentiation between donkey's and horse's meat, the mitochondrial DNA segment (cytochrome-b gene) was amplified and products were digested with AluI restriction enzyme. Results showed that 6 of 68 fermented sausages (8.82%), 4 of 48 frankfurters (8.33%), 4 of 55 hamburgers (7.27%), 2 of 33 hams (6.6%), and 1 of 20 cold cut meat (5%) were found to contain Haram (unlawful or prohibited) meat. These results indicate that 7.58% of the total samples were not containing Halal (lawful or permitted) meat and have another meat. These findings showed that molecular methods such as PCR and PCR-RFLP are potentially reliable techniques for detection of meat type in meat products for Halal authentication.

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The human mitochondrial DNA is a 16569 bp closed, circular molecule that was sequenced and mapped. The D-loop of mitochondrial DNA is a major control site for mtDNA expression and it is important in maternal inheritance. This region in different population is vary and contains essential transcription and replication elements and it could be used for detection of mother inheritance, and human evolution. The aim of present study was to determine the D-loop region polymorphism in Bakhtiarian population in southwest Iran. The blood samples of 168 healthy people of Bakhtiarian population in Iran were collected and total DNA was extracted and then, mtDNA D-loop region was amplified by PCR using specific primers. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) was analyzed in PCR products by HaeIII and AluI restriction endonuclease. Amplified fragments for mtDNA D-loop region on 1% agarose gel revealed a fragment of about 1024 bp. The results of this study showed 5 restriction patterns for HaeIII enzyme (with 1 heteroplasmy) and 2 restriction patterns for AluI enzyme (with 2 heteroplasmies) in Bakhtiarian population. The findings showed a low level of genetic polymorphism in D-loop region and it is related to high kinship marriages and low range of migration in Bakhtiarian population.

Keywords: mtDNA, D-loop region, RFLP, Polymorphism, Bakhtiarin population, Iran