Abstract: Based on the standard DNA barcodes of 51 animal species, a new pair of universal primers for mini-DNA barcode was designed and combined with clone sequencing to develop an accurate and efficient method for identifying multiple animal derived ingredients. Eleven common edible meat species were identified by the mini-DNA barcode to verify its accuracy in comparison with the results of standard DNA barcode. A mixture in equal proportion of the 11 species was used to evaluate the colon sequencing method. The results showed that the designed primers had favorable universality among 11 species with different levels of sequence homology with primers. Thus, 11 meat species could be accurately identified with the mini-barcode, which showed high consistency to the standard DNA barcode. By clone sequencing, nine species from mixed samples were detected. Furthermore, the reasons why not all the species were detected were discussed. The results of this study can lay a foundation for combining mini-DNA barcode and next generation sequencing technique for efficient species identification in mixed meat.

Key words: mini-DNA barcode, species identification, DNA barcode technique