RapidFinder™ Equine ID Kit

The RapidFinder™ Equine ID Kit enables the simple and reliable detection of horse meat in food and feed samples. The method works by detection of horse (Equus caballus) DNA by real-time PCR. Unlike ELISA based methods, the RapidFinder™ Equine ID Kit detects both raw and processed horse meat and provides sensitivity down to 0.01% horse meat DNA when used with the GMO Extraction Kit. A positive control is included in the kit (0.1% equine DNA) that can be used as a reference to set the threshold of detection of the assay.

• Simple—real-time PCR based assay, no electrophoresis needed
• Flexible—equine DNA detected in any food or feed sample, both raw and processed
• Reliable—internal positive control (IPC) provides process control check for PCR inhibitors
• Fast—from sample to result on the same day

How the RapidFinder™ Equine Kit works
Equine DNA detection is accomplished by real-time PCR using the supplied primer/probe set specific for a mitochondrial DNA sequence that is unique to Equus caballus. The target sequence, detected in the FAM™ channel, is not only specific for horse, but also stable. Included in each reaction mix is an internal positive control detected in the VIC™ channel, used to verify the absence of PCR inhibitors.

By performing a separate reaction with the included positive control, users are able to verify the system and assay are working correctly. More importantly, it enables easy data interpretation. The positive control is provided as 0.1% horse DNA in a background of beef DNA, and by comparing sample results to control results, a threshold of detection is provided.

The kit is optimized and validated for use with the Applied Biosystems™ QuantStudio™ 5 Real‑Time PCR Instrument and the Applied Biosystems™ 7500 Fast Real‑Time PCR Instrument.

Sample preparation
DNA sample preparation for the RapidFinder™ Equine ID Kit workflow is accomplished with the easy-to-use GMO Extraction Kit. Using 10 g of sample rather than the smaller sample sizes accommodated by most other DNA isolation procedures minimizes sampling errors. The GMO Extraction Kit is compatible with raw and processed meat, as well as composite food samples.

Quantification
For samples with positive results, the percentage of equine DNA with respect to total animal DNA can be quantified using the RapidFinder™ Equine ID Kit in combination with the RapidFinder™ Quant Multi-Animal Set (Cat. no. A24399) or the RapidFinder™ Quant Equine Set (Cat. no. A15579).