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Meat

Meat

Meat

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Identifying adulteration in the meat chain in Germany

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Think you know what is in your burger?
Let’s trace its path from farm to butcher

Meat is one of the world’s most consumed foods, but it is also highly vulnerable to fraud.

Sometimes high-quality meat is substituted with cheaper alternatives; low-cost proteins are added secretly; or products are mislabeled regarding origin, feeding claims or production methods.

These practices do not just cheat consumers, they harm producers, damage trust in the market and even pose health risks.

Processed products like sausages or minced beef are especially vulnerable, and current testing methods often fail to detect subtle manipulations.

Watson solution

Watson brings a multi-dimensional approach to meat traceability and fraud detection, combining advanced tools that operate throughout the supply chain.


Real-life scenarios where Watson works its magic

Distinguishing grass-fed vs. grain-fed beef

A handheld NIR/Vis scanner allows authorities and QC teams to quickly verify feeding claims on the spot, ensuring labels match reality.

Identifying chicken with added protein hydrolysates

High-sensitivity lab analysis flags artificially “water-weighted” chicken, preventing hidden manipulations.

Detecting undeclared organ meat in minced beef

Marker peptides detected via LC-MS/MS reveal hidden organ additions in cooked or processed beef.

Detecting foreign species in minced beef

Fast MALDI screening and DNA metabarcoding detect and quantify pork or other undeclared species, ensuring consumers get exactly what they expect.

The story behind the data

Watson uses a rich mix of information: spectroscopy of fat and muscle, peptide fingerprints, DNA profiles, sample metadata including origin, cut, storage and timepoints… Advanced tools like the NIR device, LC-MS/MS, MALDI and DNA metabarcoding work behind the scenes to make every meat product verifiable and trustworthy.


Who wins when Watson is in action
Food authorities

Get fast, on-site tools to confirm grass-fed status and early alerts for various types of fraud.

QC labs and retailers

Gain reassurance that products are authentic, increasing supplier trust and the reliability of business transactions.

Consumers

Gain more honest labels, with accurate feeding claims and no hidden organs or undeclared species.

The result?
A bite you can believe in

Every piece of meat carries proof of its journey, from farm to fork, letting consumers taste with confidence. Hidden ingredients, misleading labels or secret substitutions are uncovered, and every stakeholder can enjoy confidence in the meat they handle, sell or eat.


LEAD PARTNER: Max Rubner-Institut
More information

For further details, check out our Pilot Booklet: