Meat Authenticity and Traceability

This chapter provides an updated overview of approaches useful for the authentication and traceability of meat products. Different analytical methodologies can be used to define i) the species of the animals, ii) their breeds, iii) the individual animals, iv) their sex, v) if they contain genetic modifications, vi) their geographic origin, vii) how they are fed, viii) in which production system they are raised or ix) different post mortem treatments and processes that have been applied to the meat. Methods are considered according to the detection of markers derived i) from unmodifiable features of the animals (mainly DNA and proteins), ii) from physical-chemical characteristics that derive from the interaction between the biology of the animals and external factors and iii) from modifications that the meat can undergone after treatments. All these issues are discussed considering recent scientific advancements in the fields of genomics, proteomics, chemometrics, analytical chemistry and technologies.