AB SCIEX Develops New Method For Horse Meat Tests

FRAMINGHAM, Mass. - AB SCIEX has developed a new test for detecting horse tissue in meat, the company announced.

The LC-MS/MS approach for meat speciation uses the distinct masses and fragmentation patterns of peptide markers that are unique for an individual animal species, and detects those markers with a high-degree of accuracy to confirm the identity of the peptide, and ultimately the species, the firm said.

"Food fraud occurs almost every day," the company said, citing the horse meat crisis that dominated headlines earlier this year. "This type of contamination is not only misleading the consumer, but also can have health consequences."

According to the firm, the LC-MS/MS methods for meat speciation:

• Do not rely on detecting the animal's DNA in the meat, as done in speciation by PCR approaches;
• Do not assign speciation based on only a part of the protein marker, as done in speciation by ELISA approaches;
• Do not rely on the indirect approach of testing for antibiotic drug residues and assigning speciation based on the presence of certain drugs that may or may not have been used in the source animal (which could lead to false negative results or false positive identifications).

To learn more visit absciex.com.