Chunbao Li

College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, P.R. China

Meats are enriched in high lipid and protein contents, exposing them to rapid oxidative changes. Proteins are very essential in human diet, and changes in the structure and functional attributes can greatly influence the quality and nutritional value of meats. We review the molecular changes of proteins during processing, their impact on the nutritional value of fresh and processed meat, digestibility and bioavailability of meat proteins, risks associated with high meat intake, and preventive strategies employed to mitigate these risks. This information will provide new research directions to reduce or prevent oxidative processes that influence the quality and nutritional values of meat.

Meat quality is commonly affected by the physicochemical and metabolic changes during muscle-to-meat conversion. These changes primarily include pH decline, myofibrillar protein (MP) degradation, POx, and post-translational modification (PTM) of proteins. Quality attributes such as color, tenderness, pH, and water holding capacity (WHC) are measured by colorimeter, texture analyzer, pH meter, and sensory analysis or drip loss during postmortem. Nevertheless, these tools cannot provide insights into the mechanisms that alter meat quality traits or predict meat quality futuristically.

Several structural changes occur to different degrees during meat processing, depending on the time-temperature model and technological processes. Muscle cells are degraded and encapsulated by oxygen during mechanical alterations, aiding LOx-POx possibility. Heat treatment promotes severe changes to main protein constituents, resulting from protein denaturation, AA oxidation, and aggregation processes.

Meat is a fundamental source for rich dietary proteins regarding favorable balance and high bioavailability of essential AAs. However, POx and meat structure changes can influence protein hydrolysis rate, affecting its bioavailability.

Diet composition and dietary habits are important for gut health, including GM composition and balance. During digestion and absorption, the GIT extracts nutrients from foods consumed for basic nutrition and health. While some foods are enriched in anti-inflammatory bioactive compounds (AIBC), others possess pro-inflammatory compounds (PIC). Regular intake of AIBC-enriched foods aids the prevalence of beneficial GM that degrade food components into metabolites to maintain homeostasis. In contrast, ingestion of PIC-enriched diets favors dysbiosis and GM dominance, generating disease-inducing metabolites that can pose health risks.