Loop-mediated isothermal amplification for detection of porcine adulteration in meat and gelatine-based products: Analytical performance and potential applications

Abstract

 Porcine-derived products, including pork gelatine and lard, are commonly associated with undeclared food additives or contaminants. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)-based approaches are typically considered the most reliable strategy for species authentication in food products due to DNA's stability in processed food matrices and its high specificity. Loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) has emerged as a viable method for rapid DNA detection in isothermal conditions, requiring minimal instrumentation and offering high sensitivity and robust inhibitor tolerance. This review discusses the past and current literature on LAMP assays for detecting porcine adulteration in meat and gelatine. At the same time, there is still a lack of studies involving the detection of lard adulteration in fat-based products. It also discusses several important factors, such as assay design, target gene selection, detection formats, and matrix-dependent analytical performance. A comparison of LAMP with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) demonstrates LAMP's advantages in rapid screening, high specificity, and ease of use. Limitations and possible future avenues for incorporating LAMP into food control initiatives were also discussed.