GB2320960A - Marking or tagging of livestock - Google Patents

Abstract

Livestock is identified or traced by administration of isotopic chemical labels detectable by MS or NMR. Administration may be in the form of a feedstuff. The labels are also detectable in butchery products derived from the carcasses of the livestock.

Description

STABLE TO TABLE MEAT AND LIVESTOCK IDENTIFICATION THIS INVENTION relates to a process whereby farm livestock is marked with a traceable chemical identifier.

The traceability of farm livestock is of importance to sectors of both government and industry. Farmers have a need to identify their livestock should it be stolen. Major food retailers are demanding traceability of animal carcases for quality assurance schemes. Major concerns about human health have recently emphasised the importance of traceability of carcases entering the human food chain.

Schemes currently in use for livestock traceability involve the use of numeric tagging by physical means. These physical tags are not however permanent. They are removed at the slaughter of the animal.

This invention provides for a means of identifying the farm of origin of farmed livestock by the introduction into such livestock of isotopic labels which can subsequently be identified by such techniques as Mass Spectrometry (MS) and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMRS). Such a label remains traceable within the tissue of the animal even after slaughter and butchery of the carcase.

Many of the chemical elements which have been demonstrated to be of physiological or metabolic significance exist in different isotopic forms. The natural frequency of such isotopes is well characterised and published, although for some elements regional variation in the naturalfrequency exists.

Chemical compounds can however be produced where the constituent elements have an isotopic frequency which varies significantly from the natural frequency. Such compounds are commonly known as labelled compounds. Such labelled compounds are widely used as "tracers".

According to the present invention labelled compounds which are of physiological or metabolic significance i.e. foodstuffs would be introduced into livestock at, or as soon as practicable after birth. These compounds would then be incorporated within the body tissue of the animal, and provide a label which would remain fixed in that tissue throughout its subsequent history. Administration of the labelled material would be by oral or parenteral means. The labelled material introduced into livestock would form the basis of an identification system both for the livestock and of any carcase product subsequently obtained from that livestock.

Isotopic labels used singly or in combination gives scope according to the present invention for the formulation of an identification system. For example use of up to three isotopes would code for 21,000 unique tissue signatures. For identification purposes the uniqueness of the signature would only need to apply within a particular species of livestock. The code would not therefore be sufficient to uniquely identify every animal produced, but a significant proportion of livestock breeding establishments would be able to hold their own unique code.

According to the present invention some 40 isotopes of 16 different chemical elements would be used as labels. For reasons of Food Safety radioactive isotopes have been ignored. For each chemical element, the isotope with the highest natural frequency has not been considered as a label but would be used to establish a reference frequency against which the other isotope(s) of that element could be.compared.

Thais present invention specifies the use as isotopic labels for the production of labelled compounds with metabolic or physiological significance the radio stable isotopes of the elements listed below: Hydrogen Carbon Nitrogen Oxygen Magnesium Sulphur Chlorine Potassium Calcium Chromium Iron Copper Zinc Selenium

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Claims (3)

1. CLAIMS 1. A means for providing for the identification of the farm of origin of farmed livestock by the introduction into such livestock of isotopic labels which can subsequently be identified by Mass Spectrometry or Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectrometry techniques.
2. 2. The use for the means claimed in Claim 1. of isotopic labels singly or in combination for the origin identification of farmed mammals, birds and fish.
3. 3. The use forth purposes of the means claimed in Claim 1. of labelled compounds which have physiological or metabolic significance, specifically a. Sugars, starches and non starch polysaccharides b. Ethanol and polyhydric

   c. Di carboxylic organic acids d. Saturated and Unsaturated Fatty Acids e. Amino acids and proteins f. Substances recognised as vitamins g. Minerals h. Water