A distinctive difference was found between the ratio of the anserine and carnosine contents (a/c ratio) in beef or pork and of that in chicken/meat. The a/c ratio for beef varies between 0.06-0.2 and for pork between 0.02-0.1 but for chicken meat can reach values as high as 2.2-5.5. The high a/c ratio for chicken meat proved to be sufficient to detect this ingredient at a 5% level in both cooked pork products and 1:1 beef-pork mixtures, this being independent of the heat treatment. The a/c ratio should be considered to be a suitable parameter for the presence of chicken meat in meat products.