Enhancing Food Authenticity: A Dye-Based Polymerase Spiral Reaction for Rapid Detection of Duck Tissue as Adulterants in Meat Samples

Meat adulteration is a significant global concern for the food industry, compromising food safety by substituting higher-value meat with lower-cost alternatives. Duck meat is frequently used to adulterate other, more expensive commercial meats due to its similar texture and appearance. This study aimed to develop a polymerase spiral reaction (PSR)-based assay for the rapid detection of duck meat in meat samples of other species adulterated with duck tissue. The 12S rRNA duck gene was targeted for PSR-based amplification. The optimized assay was completed in 60 min when the temperature was maintained at 65°C, resulting in the successful detection of Duck DNA with a sensitivity of up to 3 fg/µL of genomic DNA. The study showed no cross-reactivity with eight other meat species and detected up to 0.01% duck adulteration in sheep meat admixtures. The PSR assay was able to precisely determine the duck content in 30 heat-treated and 20 frozen/processed samples, thus demonstrating the robustness of the developed assay. This PSR-based detection method using 12S rRNA can provide a rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective approach for the on-site detection of duck meat adulteration.