Suchergebnisse

International audience ; Species specific detection and detection of groups of species such as ruminants is required according to European legislation dealing with the safe use of animal by-products in animal nutrition. Various methods are applied to the analysis of feed samples for the presence of banned processed animal proteins (PAPs) including meat and bone meal (MBM). Classical microscopy as described in the Commission Directive EC/2003/126 is the only official method to detect the presence of constituents of animal origin in feed, nevertheless some deviating protocols allowed under the old Directive (EC/88/1988) claim to gain comparable results. An inherent limitation of the official microscopic method is the lack of species specificity. Immnunoassays showed the most promising potential in research projects or intercomparison studies being able to detect ruminant PAPs at a concentration level of 0.5%. The aim of this paper is to present the results of the intercomparison study conducted on behalf of DG-Health and Consumer Protection (SANCO) in 2004 to establish whether the two-solvent Method would gain comparable results to the current European Method and to evaluate the current capability of immnuoassays of determining the species in PAPs present in feed.

International audience ; At present, the European legislation prohibits totally the use of processed animal proteins (PAPs) in feed for all farmed animals [Commission Regulation (EC) n°1234/2003 - extended feed ban]. A softening of the feed ban for non-ruminants would nevertheless be considered if alternative methods could be used to gain more information on the species origin of PAPs than what can be provided by classical optical microscopy. This would allow to control provisions such as the ban of feeding animals with proteins from the same species or intra-species recycling [Regulation (EC) n°1774/2002]. Two promising alternative methods, Near Infrared Microscopy (NIRM) and real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) were combined to authenticate, at the species level, the presence of animal particles. The present paper describes the improvements of the real-time PCR method lying in the DNA extraction protocol and allowing to perform up to 5 PCR analyses with the DNA extracted from a single particle.

In the context of the expansion of the human population, availability of food, and in extension of animal feed, is a big issue. Favoring a circular economy by the valorisation of by-products is a sustainable way to be more efficient. Animal by-products are an interesting source of feed materials due to their richness in proteins of high nutritional value. Prevention and control efforts have allowed a gradual lifting of the feed ban regarding the use of animal by-products. Nevertheless, the challenge remains the development of analytical methods enabling a distinction between authorized and unauthorized feed materials. This review focuses on the historical and epidemiological context of the official control, the evaluation of current and foreseen legislation and the available methods of analysis for the detection of constituents of animal origin in feedingstuffs. It also underlines the analytical limitations of the approach and discusses some prospects of novel methods to ensure food and feed safety. ; Peer reviewed

Use of edible insects as an alternative source of proteins in food and feed is increasing. These last years, numerous companies in Europe have started producing insects for food and feed purposes. In the European Union, the use of edible insects for human consumption falls within Regulation (EU) No. 2015/2283 on novel foods. For feed, Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/893 authorizes seven insect species as processed animal proteins for aquaculture. Methods of authentication are required to check the conformity of the products. In this study, we propose a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for the specific detection of the lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus), one of the species included in the shortlist of authorized insects. The selected target is the cadherin gene with a single-copy (per haploid genome) illustrated by our experimental evidence. The PCR test amplified a 134-bp fragment of the cadherin gene. The qualitative method was assessed toward several performance criteria. Specificity was checked against 54 insect species next to other animal and plant species. The sensitivity, efficiency, robustness, and transferability of the PCR assay were also successfully tested. Finally, the applicability of the test was assessed on real-life processed samples (industrial meals) of A. diaperinus. The study also showed that there seems to be a huge confusion on the correct labeling of the marketed mealworms. We did not succeed to get Alphitobius laevigatus samples. They all appeared to belong to the A. diaperinus taxon.