October 10, 2006

 

DNA technique to place New Zealand meat a cut above the rest

 

 

New Zealand researchers unveiled a DNA technique this week which could allow authorities to trace which cow the beef from a beef patty came from.

 

The new method could possibly make electronic tagging obsolete just as millions are spent to implement the system in other countries.

 

New Zealand based AgResearch said it developed the DNA traceability method to help New Zealand processors sell its meat with guaranteed origin certified labeling, allowing them to charge higher prices, say AgResearch scientists.

 

The researchers revealed the new DNA method at the Horizons in Livestock Sciences conference starting this week in Australia.

 

Current tracing methods, which use tagging, end at the processing stage where the carcass is dismembered. Furthermore, in earlier stages, there exists the problem of mislabelling by human error, said Grant Shackell, one of AgResearch's scientists.

 

The traceability problem is further compounded when the subject is ground beef, where the meat could have come from several animals.

 

Some DNA traceability systems for individual meat cuts currently exist but tracing  products that contain meat from more than one animal has up until now been difficult, the researchers said.

 

The new method would allow testers to determine which animals they originate from even when testing meat products made from more than one animal, such as patties.

 

Furthermore, DNA tracing can provide brand protection, fraud detection and non-label species contamination, said Shackell, adding that the use of DNA traceability tools would be a standard in farms of the future.

 

Consumers and governments would increasingly demand better food safety and information on animal origins, he stated. DNA traceability technology would endow New Zealand with the tools to comply with the new requirements, he added.

 

New Zealand currently ranks among the world's top five beef exporters.