Fecha de publicación: -- Fuente: PubMed "meat" J Food Prot. 2026 Nov 9:100961. doi: 10.1016/j.jfp.2026.100961. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTMeat adulteration is a growing concern because it compromises food authenticity, consumer confidence, and ethical or religious preferences. This study aimed to detect goat and horse DNA in meat marketed as goat meat in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI)-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR). A cross-sectional study was conducted from August 2025 to March 2026. A total of 427 raw meat samples were collected from licensed butcheries using a multistage random sampling approach. Genomic DNA was extracted using phenol-chloroform and salting-out methods and analyzed by conventional PCR using species-specific primers targeting the mitochondrial COI gene. A structured questionnaire was administered to assess meat-handler awareness of meat adulteration. Of the 427 samples analyzed, 368 (86.2%) were positive for goat DNA, whereas 5 (1.2%) were positive for horse DNA, indicating the presence of undeclared horse-derived genetic material. No amplification was detected in 54 (12.6%) samples, which were classified as inconclusive. Because only five samples were positive for horse DNA, statistical assessment of factors associated with horse DNA detection was not considered sufficiently reliable, and questionnaire findings are therefore presented descriptively. Awareness of meat adulteration was moderate, although the ability to identify adulterated meat by visual inspection alone was limited. Because the assay was qualitative, horse DNA could be detected but not quantified. These findings demonstrate the utility of COI-based PCR for meat species identification and support strengthening surveillance, laboratory capacity, and food authenticity monitoring systems in Ethiopia.PMID:43003261 | DOI:10.1016/j.jfp.2026.100961