With the electrophoresis results of the unknown ground samples, there was no chicken amplification in any of the samples, so there is a high chance that none of the samples are comprised of chicken. There was strong amplification of bovine and ovine primers, so the samples are more likely comprised of beef and lamb than the other meats.
Figure 1. PCR amplification of lamb DNA with bovine, chicken, porcine, and ovine primers.
Lane 1. Bovine primers, weak non-specific amplification; lane 2. Chicken primers; lane 3: porcine primers, weak non-specific amplification; lane 4. Ovine primers, strong amplification as expected.
In the future, the PCR parameters would need to be adjusted, such as raising the annealing temperature. Also, stricter, more specific primers would need to be designed in order to obtain the most accurate results.
Lahiff, S., M. Glennon, L. O»Brien, J. Lyng, T. Smith, M. Maher, and N. Shilton. "Species specific PCR for the Identification of Ovine, Porcine and Chicken Species in Meat and Bone Meal (MBM)." Molecular and Cellular Probes 15.1 (2001): 27-35. Print.
W1. No Author. 2013. “Aldi confirms up to 100% horsemeat in beef products”. The Guardian News. http://www.theguardian.com/business/2013/feb/09/aldi-100-percent-horsemeat-beef-products. Accessed June 2015.
I would like to thank Dr. Li Lu for teaching and aiding me with this project and the National Science Foundation- Historically Black College and Universities-Undergraduate Program and the United States Department of Agriculture-Capacity Building Grants to promote minority students' participation in STEM-undergraduate degree programs.