Research Progress on Traceability and Authenticity of Beef

Nowadays, stable isotope technology, DNA technology, spectroscopic technology, volatilomics technology, metabolomic analysis, mineral elements analysis and fatty acid analysis have been used to trace the origin of beef. Stable isotope technique is often combined with mineral elements analysis. Both of them have the advantages of high accuracy and low detection limit. Stable isotopes may be affected by geography and dietary history. The mineral elements analysis has high requirements for experimental operation. DNA technology is not affected by geography and dietary history, so it has unique advantages. It faces the problem of selecting molecular markers. Spectroscopic technology and volatilomics technology based on electronic nose do not require sample pretreatment. The limitation is that infrared and Raman are insensitive, and the data processing of hyperspectral image is difficult. Raman is much less sensitive than Infrared. The use of electronic nose has higher requirements for environment. Volatilomics technology based on mass spectrometry (MS), metabolomic analysis and fatty acid analysis have been used to analyze organic components. They can provide comprehensive information, but they have higher requirements for sample preservation. Metabolomic analysis equipment is expensive. The research on traceability and authenticity of beef can help to ensure the security and quality of beef.