GAMMA GLOBULIN ISOLATED FROM RABBIT ANTISERUM FOR RAPID DETECTION OF MEAT ADULTERATION

SUMMARY –A simple, rapid method for the qualitative identification of animal proteins as to species was developed for fresh meat. Gamma globulin isolated from species-specific rabbit antiserum was mixed with a heated extract of skeletal muscle of beef, horse lamb and pork. The mixture was allowed to set for 30 min at room temperature and then centrifuged. The presence of a precipitin indicated a positive reaction. There were no cross reactions between meat samples from different species. This method requires a maximum time of only 1–2 hr, as compared with the 3 days required for double-gel diffusion. In addition, it is much more sensitive than gel diffusion.