Brain in human nutrition and variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease risk (vCJD): detection of brain in retail liver sausages using cholesterol and neuron specific enolase (NSE) as markers.

Abstract

No information is available about the consumption of brain via meat products. With respect to the new variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and the presumed food-borne transmission of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) to humans, a preliminary survey for brain and/or spinal cord (tissues of the central nervous system, CNS) was conducted. We applied a previously developed integrated procedure using cholesterol and neuron specific enolase (NSE) as markers. Quantification of cholesterol had to be backed up by NSE immunochemistry in order to account for low specificity and relatively high variances. Out of 126 high-quality finely graded liver sausages, five samples (4 %) showed positive NSE immunoresponses. In four of these samples a transgression of the normal maximum cholesterol content was obtained. The identification of such a considerable number of CNS-positive sausages indicates that brain consumption is not as rare as previously assumed. Overall, the present integrated method could be successfully applied for the detection of CNS in heat-treated meat products. Its routine application in official food control would deter illegal practice and thus help to control transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.