Development and validation of a TaqMan real-time PCR assay for the identification and quantification of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in food to detect food adulteration

•Detection of roe deer in meat products.•Quantification of roe deer in meat products.•No cross-reactivity with 23 animal and 43 plant species.•Validation by analyzing model meat mixtures and a model sausage.•The method has been found to be very robust. In order to protect the consumer from meat adulteration it is necessary to identify and quantify the meat content in foodstuffs. Game meat is particularly susceptible for fraudulent labeling since it is more valuable than meat from domestic animals. The paper presents a TaqMan real-time PCR assay for the quantitative determination of roe deer in meat products. The assay developed does not show cross-reactivity with 23 animal and 43 plant species tested and is therefore specific for roe deer. The amplification efficiency determined by analyzing serially diluted roe deer DNA extracts was found to be 93.9%. For quantifying the roe deer content in % (w/w), a reference system based on the myostatin gene was used. The quantification strategy was validated by determining the roe deer content in model meat mixtures and a model sausage. In addition, the real-time PCR assay was applied to the analysis of commercially available meat products.