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The discovery of horse DNA in hamburgers on sale at supermarkets in Ireland and Britain is testing the appetite of meat lovers there.

According to CNN, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland said Tuesday that 10 out of 27 hamburger products it analyzed in a study were found to contain horse DNA, and 23 of them tested positive for pig DNA.

The horse-tainted burgers, on sale at several different supermarket chains, came from two meat processing plants in Ireland and one in Britain, the Irish authority said.

"This raises concerns in relation to the traceability of meat ingredients and products entering the food chain," it said, but noted that the findings posed no risk to public health.

In nine out of the 10 burger samples, the horse DNA was found at very low levels, the authority said, but in one sample from Tesco, Britain's largest retailer, the horsemeat accounted for about 29% of the burger.

Tesco responded by pulling from its shelves all products from the company that had supplied the dubious burgers.

"We understand that many of our customers will be concerned by this news, and we apologize sincerely for any distress," Tesco said.

The retailer is working with Irish and British authorities and the supplier to work out what had happened, it said.