DNA Quality and Integrity of Nuclear and Mitochondrial Sequences from Beef Meat as Affected by Different Cooking Methods

The extraction of high quality DNA from processed meat can often represent the crucial step in an authentication process by PCR-based methods. In this study, the effect of three different domestic cooking methods (roasting, boiling, and microwave) on DNA isolated from two beef muscles has been investigated. The quality of extracted DNA was evaluated by amplifying target sequences from mitochondrial and nuclear genes, as well as by monitoring the yield, purity, and degradation of the extracted DNA. Large PCR fragments (length >900 bp) were successfully amplified from both genes in all samples. The cooking methods caused significant differences in terms of quality and quantity of DNA recovered from meat.