Detection of mechanically recovered chicken meat using capillary gel electrophoresis

This study investigated the use of capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) as a method for differentiating between raw mechanically recovered chicken meat (MRM) and hand deboned chicken breast meat (HDM). Twenty samples of MRM we re obtained and twenty samples of HDM were prepared in the laboratory. They were extracted and analysed using Prosort(TM) SDS-protein analysis reagent . There were obvious differences in the relative peak areas within the prof iles obtained which distinguished raw MRM from raw HDM; specifically, that of haemoglobin was higher in MRM. Using the peak area of haemoglobin and it s ratio to other peaks, the technique was tested using composite MRM-HDM mi xtures. The results suggest that it is possible to differentiate mixtures c ontaining 7.5% MRM from that of 0% MRM using the CGE method. (C) 2001 Elsev ier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.