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A melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene polymorphism is useful for authentication of Massese sheep dairy products

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 January 2011

Luca Fontanesi ,
Francesca Beretti ,
Stefania Dall'Olio ,
Baldassare Portolano ,
Donato Matassino  and
Vincenzo Russo
Luca Fontanesi*
Affiliation:
DIPROVAL, Sezione di Allevamenti Zootecnici, University of Bologna, Via F.lli Rosselli 107, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Francesca Beretti*
Affiliation:
DIPROVAL, Sezione di Allevamenti Zootecnici, University of Bologna, Via F.lli Rosselli 107, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy Dipartimento S.En.Fi.Mi.Zo., Sezione di Produzioni Animali, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze – Parco d'Orleans, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Stefania Dall'Olio
Affiliation:
DIPROVAL, Sezione di Allevamenti Zootecnici, University of Bologna, Via F.lli Rosselli 107, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
Baldassare Portolano
Affiliation:
Dipartimento S.En.Fi.Mi.Zo., Sezione di Produzioni Animali, University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze – Parco d'Orleans, 90128 Palermo, Italy
Donato Matassino
Affiliation:
ConSDABI, Contrada Piano Cappelle, 82100 Benevento, Italy
Vincenzo Russo
Affiliation:
DIPROVAL, Sezione di Allevamenti Zootecnici, University of Bologna, Via F.lli Rosselli 107, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy
*
*For correspondence; e-mail: luca.fontanesi@unibo.it
*For correspondence; e-mail: luca.fontanesi@unibo.it
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Abstract

Massese is an Italian sheep breed, with black or grey coat colour, mainly reared in the Tuscany and Emilia Romagna regions. Recently, the emerging interests in this breed have resulted in the production of Pecorino cheese obtained with only Massese milk. In order to be profitable, this marketing link between Massese breed and its products should be defended against fraudsters who could include milk of other sheep breeds or cow milk in Massese labelled productions. To identify the genetic factors affecting coat colour in sheep, we have recently analysed the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene and identified several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In this work, as a first step to set up a DNA based protocol for authentication of Massese dairy products, we further investigated the presence and distribution of one of these SNPs (c.-31G>A) in 143 Massese sheep and in another 13 sheep breeds (for a total of 351 animals). The Massese breed was fixed for allele c.-31A, whereas in all other breeds allele c.-31 G was the most frequent or with frequency of 0·50. At the same nucleotide position the cattle MC1R gene carries the G nucleotide. Using these data we developed a method to detect adulterating milk (from other sheep breeds or from cow) in Massese dairy products based on the analysis of the c.-31G>A SNP. We first tested the sensitivity of the protocol and then applied it to analyse DNA extracted from ricotta and Pecorino cheese obtained with only Massese milk or obtained with unrestricted sheep and cattle milk. To our knowledge, this system represents the first one that can be used for breed authentication of a sheep production and that, at the same time, can reveal frauds derived from the admixture of milk of an unreported species.

Keywords

authenticationMasseseMC1Rmono-breed productssheep breedsSNP
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , Volume 78 , Issue 1 , February 2011 , pp. 122 - 128
Copyright
Copyright © Proprietors of Journal of Dairy Research 2010

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