Investigation of Meat Species in ？i？ Meatball, ？i？ Kebab and Lahmacun

Adulteration can be found frequently in food items with high economic value offered to human consumption. These adulterations are important for economic, religious, moral and health reasons. In this research, it was aimed to investigate the presence of meat species other than those declared to be in ？i？ meatballs, ？i？ kebabs and lahmacun mixtures made from sheep or beef meat, which were served in restaurants of ？anl？urfa and Mardin cities. A total of 65 samples consisting of 31 samples (17 ？i？ meatballs, 4 ？i？ kebabs and 10 lahmacun mixtures) from ？anl？urfa and 34 samples (23 ？i？ meatballs, 2 ？i？ kebabs and 9 lahmacun mixtures) from Mardin were purchased from the restaurants. The samples were tested for the presence of equine, pig and poultry meat by using the ELISA-TEK identification Kit. Poultry meat was detected in 2 (3.1%) ？i？ meatballs samples of tested 65 samples. No equine or porcine meat was detected in any of the samples. It is important to carry out frequent and regular checks to prevent health risks in meat and meat products and to avoid unfair competition