Peptide biomarkers as a way to differentiate chicken and turkey meat

The present work describes the feasibility to develop a proteomic approach capable to differentiate turkey from chicken meat in meat mixes through identification of species-specific peptide biomarkers. The method is robust and simple, involving protein extraction of myofibrillar proteins, enrichment of the target protein using OFFGEL fractionation, trypsin digestion and identification of species-specific peptides by MALDITOF mass spectrometry. Apart from its simplicity, this approach has the advantage to be effectively applied for detection of both raw and cooked meat, representing an interesting and serious alternative to methods currently in use for meat speciation such as immunoassays and DNA-based analysis.