Identification of raw and heat-processed meats from game bird species by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism of the mitochondrial D-loop region.

Polymerase chain reaction-RFLP analysis has been applied to the identification of meats from quail (Coturnix coturnix), pheasant (Phasianus colchicus), red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa), chukar partridge (Alectoris chukar), guinea fowl (Numida meleagris), capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola), and woodpigeon (Columba palumbus). Polymerase chain reaction amplification was carried out using a set of primers flanking a conserved region of approximately 310 bp from the mitochondrial D-loop region. Restriction site analysis based on sequence data from this DNA fragment permitted the selection of HinfI, MboII, and Hpy188III endonucleases for species identification. The restriction profiles obtained when amplicons were digested with the chosen enzymes allowed the unequivocal identification of all game bird species analyzed. Consistent results were obtained with both raw and heat-processed meats.