Monoclonal antibodies to porcine thermal-stable muscle protein for detection of pork in raw and cooked meats

Four hybridoma cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific to porcine thermal-stable muscle proteins (TSMPs) were developed. The MAbs reacted with three protein bands (20.5, 22 and 24 kD) from raw pork extract; the protein band (24 kD) which was also present in cooked pork was identified as porcine-specific TSMP. Epitope analysis indicated four MAbs recognized same or closely located antigenic sites on the pork TSMP, The developed MAb-based indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) enabled the detection of pork in raw and cooked heterogeneous meat mixtures as low as 10 g/kg. The curvilinear relations of second-degree polynomial (r(2)>0.995) between pork concentrations and ELISA responses enabled quantifying degree of adulteration of pork in meat products.