Development of PCR-RFLP technique for differentiating diversified poultry species using mitochondrial 12s ribosomal RNA (12S rRNA)

Rearing of diversified poultry is gaining rapid momentum as consumers prefer variety over usual chicken meat. Identification of poultry meat is vital to avoid false or misinterpretation of meat for commercial benefit. Beside this, the wild quail which is protected species under Wild Life Protection Act (1972) also needs to be differentiated from domesticated Japanese quail in order to prevent illegal killing/slaughter of wild quail in the name of domestic Japanese quail meat. Molecular tools are considered to be most precise, efficient, and authentic and can be used with variety of biological samples collected at any stage of life after hatching. In this study sequence analysis of partial 12s rRNA amplicon was carried out using universal primer followed by Hph I restriction digestion of the amplified product. PCR-RFLP using Hph I yielded a clear polymorphic band pattern on gel electrophoresis aiding clear identification of the avian species involved. This method is rapid, reliable and simple to perform and can be widely used for identification of diversified poultry.