|
National Research Centre on Meat has been established to conduct basic and applied
research in the area of meat quality control and regulations and to assist meat
industry to prepare itself for compliance with the food safety act 2006 India and
international regulatory frame work. It has been the endeavour of this centre to
meet the rising quality and safety requirements of both the domestic markets and
export industry with the increasing participation of meat animal producers including
small, marginal meat animal producers, processors, consumers and retailers by employing
cutting edge technologies. National Research Centre on Meat is poised for application
of contemporary risk based analysis, risk assessment, risk prevention and risk communication
principles to the meat sector in general and consumers in particular starting from
the farm to fork of animal production in the wake of recent human surveillance studies
of specicific meat-borne pathogens such as E.coli 0157:H7, Salmonella spp., Campylobacter
spp., Listeria and Yesinia enterocolitica , diseases of public health importance
, pesticide residues and its reduction during processing ,further processing of
meat and meat products.
|
|
|
|
Microbiological quality of meat and meat products is very important with regards
to public health significance. Meat microbiology laboratory ensures quality assurance
to various meats and meat products produced in the centre there by assures the supply
of wholesome and healthier meat products. Various microbiological analyses are being
carried out to achieve the quality control and quality assurance on fresh, processed,
further processed meats and its products. Accordingly, this laboratory produced
various meat products such as sun and oven dried chicken snacks, chicken chunks,
chicken meat powder with well below and acceptable microbial counts and increased
shelf life even up to two years. Similarly, the microbiological hygiene of fresh
meat achieved using food grade organic acids and few natural anti microbial agents.
|
|
|
Meat species identification laboratory
|
|
A complete laboratory for meat species and sex identification by Polymerase chain
reaction based molecular techniques has been established under the research project,
‘Development of advanced molecular techniques for identification of species and
sex of meat’.
|
|
Misrepresentation of meat for economic gains is a fraudulent practice prevalent
across the world. Export of buffalo meat is permitted and export of beef (cattle
meat) is prohibited. Cow slaughter is banned in most states of the country except
West Bengal, Kerala and North Eastern states. To implement the regulations pertaining
to such issues food analysts need to have reliable, authentic and simple detection
techniques. Cente has developed several Polymerase Chain Reaction based techniques
for identification of species and sex of meat.
|
|
|
|
Equipments in use
|
|
Major equipments present in the laboratory are Thermocycler, Gel documentation system,
Ultra deep freezer (-86°C), Submarine gel electrophoresis unit, refrigerated centrifuge,
water bath, magnetic stirrer etc.
|
|
|
|
Training sponsored/conducted:
|
|
• Exposure training to officials from Regional Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (North
Zone), Department of Animal Husbandry, Jalandhar, Punjab on 25th and 26th August
2010.
|
|
• Summer project to Master students from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University
in the year 2008.
|
|
|
Products /technologies developed
|
|
1) Species specific PCR for authentication of buffalo meat
|
|
India exported about 0.48 million tonnes of buffalo meat in 2007 – 08, worth Indian
Rupees 35490.78 million. But export of beef is banned. Hence, there is a need to
authenticate the species of export sample. Species specific PCR developed at the
centre using specific primers designed based on mitochondrial D loop sequence yields
an amplicon of 482 bp in buffalo and no amplification will be detected closely related
species.
|
|
|
|
C S G B L
|
|
|
PCR amplification of mitochondrial D with specific primers for buffalo D loop gene run on 2 % agaorse gel
|
|
C: Cattle; S: Sheep; G: Goat; B: Buffalo
|
|
|
|
2) Species specific PCR for detection of chevon (goat meat)
|
|
Misrepresentation of mutton with chevon is a fraudulent practice prevalent in India.
Species specific primers designed at the Centre amplify and yield an amplicon of
229 bp in chevon. No cross amplification will be seen in other closely related species.
|
|
|
|
|
PCR amplification of mitochondrial D with specific primers for goat D loop gene run on 2 % agaorse gel
|
|
C: Cattle; S: Sheep; Go: Goat;
|
|
B: Buffalo; Co: Negative control
|
|
|
|
3) Identification of species and sex of cattle and buffalo meat by Polymerase Chain
Reaction - Restriction fragment length polymorphism of Amelogenein XY gene.
|
|
PCR amplification gives single amplicon of 282 bp in female whereas two amplicons
of size 217 bp and 282 bp will be seen in male. Restriction digestion of amplicon
with selected restriction enzymes can identify species of meat.
|
|
|
|
|
PCR RFLP pattern of Amelogenin XY gene in cattle and buffalo
|
|
CX: Cattle Aml X; BX: Buffalo Amel X; CY: Cattle Amel Y; BY: Buffalo Amel Y
|
|
|
|
4) Duplex PCR for detection of sex of cattle and buffalo meat
|
|
By Polymerase chain reaction using primers designed targeting mitochondrial and
sex chromosomal genes, sex of both cattle and buffalo meat can be detected. Single
amplicon indicates the sample as female and double amplicon indicates the sample
as male.
|
|
|
|
|
Duplex PCR amplification in cattle & buffalo
|
|
CM: Cattle male; CF: Cattle female; BM: Buffalo male; BF: Buffalo female
|
|
|
|
Services: Hands on training on meat species and sex identification will be provided
at the Centre. Investment required for establishment of meat species and sex identfication
laboratory is about 15 lakh. Technologies will be transferred to individuals interested
in establishing the speciation and sexing laboratory.
|