Abstract: The objective of this research was to develop a method to identify yak and bovine meat by gene analysis. Genomic DNA was extracted from meat samples of yak, bovine and local goat breeds of Sichuan Province. A universal PCR primer was used to amplify a 421bp fragment of cytochrome b gene for cloning and sequencing. Cytochrome b genes from different animals were amplified efficiently with the universal PCR primer. The amplified fragments show significant differences in sequence between yak and bovine, and can be employed for identification of the two kinds of meat. However, Jintang black goat, Baiyu black goat and Meigu black goat exhibit very small difference in the amplified sequence. A PCR-RFLP based protocol was developed in this experiment to identify yak and bovine meat or meat product, with application value for animal protection and identification of meat products of unknown origin.

Key words: yak, meat, universal primer, cytochrome b