Controlling Meat Quality through Product Functionality Enhancement

Meat can be considered a functional food because it is an excellent source of protein, minerals such as iron, zinc and selenium, and B vitamins, but recent associations of red meat with diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease provide impetus to look at increasing the healthfulness of meat. Modification of the eating quality of meat is currently accomplished through management of animal breed and/or growth enhancing pharmaceuticals, with gene marker selection for meat tenderness commercially available in cattle and under investigation in pigs. Other ante mortem meat quality enhancements include alteration of fat content and fatty acid composition through animal diet, supplementation of animals with vitamins D and E to improve meat tenderness and shelf life, respectively, and provision of glucose and electrolytes prior to slaughter to decrease the likelihood of dark cutting and improve meat colour. Given that ground, seasoned, cured, and injected/tenderized products are readily accepted in the North American market, the use and development of additional post mortem strategies and technologies to enhance meat quality and healthfulness warrant reconsideration. Improvement of the healthfulness of meat through prevention of growth of pathogenic bacteria is easily substantiated, and bacteriocins from lactic acid bacteria have been shown to be effective. Recent research has focused on increasing the proportions of muscle protein and omega-3 fatty acids and reducing sodium chloride and sodium nitrite concentrations in processed meat products. Also, incorporation of ‘functional’ plant products to enhance meat healthfulness and quality through the addition of natural antioxidants has been investigated with some success at reducing heterocyclic aromatic amines. Fermented meat are gaining credibility as functional foods because of the potential proteolytic release of bioactive peptides that exhibit either inhibitory activity on the angiotension I-converting enzyme (ACE), opiod properties, or have prebiotic function. Meat from ruminants may have potential anti-cancer, anti-oxidative and anti-ageing effects due to its conjugated linoleic acid content, but most potential healthfulness claims for meat have not been substantiated in humans. There is also the opportunity to improve flavour and eating quality through the introduction of reactive five-carbon sugars such as ribose and xylose to pork products. Future research improving both meat healthfulness and eating quality while maintaining affordability may return health-conscious consumers to processed and unprocessed meat products.