Innovations from Farm to Fork to 'Meat' Consumer Demands in a Changing World

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Meat".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2025) | Viewed by 1203

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
AgResearch Limited, Te Ohu Rangahau Kai, Massey University Campus, Palmerston North 4474, New Zealand
Interests: meat processing; meat quality; dry-ageing; novel meat products; flavour; non-invasive analytics; omics

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Guest Editor
AgResearch Limited, Te Ohu Rangahau Kai, Massey University Campus, Palmerston North 4474, New Zealand
Interests: meat quality; shelf-life; packaging; lipids; volatile compounds; sensory and consumer science
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Interests: meat quality; meat preservation; cold-chain logistics; protein post-translational modifications; meat colour; tenderness; glycolysis; mitochondria
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue delves into the latest advancements in meat production, processing, and preservation to address the evolving consumer demands of a rapidly changing world. As global challenges such as climate change, sustainability, and shifting dietary preferences reshape the future of food, the meat industry must innovate across the entire supply chain from farm to fork. The Special Issue highlights cutting-edge research on sustainable farming practices, regenerative agriculture, plant-forward approaches (such as hybrid meats), and technological innovations in meat production, processing, and preservation. It also explores consumer trends and expectations, examining how the industry can adapt to deliver meat products that are nutritious, flavourful, ethically produced, and environmentally friendly. By bridging the gap between scientific research, industry practices, and consumer needs, this Special Issue seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of how innovations across the supply chain can shape the future of meat production and consumption. We welcome contributions from researchers, industry experts, and policymakers to advance the discussion on sustainable and innovative meat solutions.

Dr. Renyu Zhang
Dr. Carolina E. Realini
Dr. Xin Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • meat quality
  • sustainability
  • emerging technologies
  • consumer trend
  • sensory
  • nutrition
  • novel meat products
  • meat consumption
  • preservation

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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13 pages, 4470 KiB  
Article
Revealing the Mechanism of Protein Degradation in Postmortem Meat: The Role of Phosphorylation and Ubiquitination
by Xinran Zhao, Saisai Wu, Chi Ren, Yuqiang Bai, Chengli Hou, Xin Li, Zhenyu Wang and Dequan Zhang
Foods 2025, 14(2), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14020184 - 9 Jan 2025
Viewed by 882
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the possible effects of phosphorylation and ubiquitination on the degradation of myofibrillar proteins in mutton with different tenderness. The longissimus thoracis lumborum muscles were chosen and divided into tender and tough groups (n = [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to investigate the possible effects of phosphorylation and ubiquitination on the degradation of myofibrillar proteins in mutton with different tenderness. The longissimus thoracis lumborum muscles were chosen and divided into tender and tough groups (n = 9), and then stored at 4 °C for 1 h, 12 h, 1 d, 3 d, and 5 d postmortem. Shear force, pH, myofibril fragmentation index, AMPK activity, E3 ubiquitin ligase abundance, protein phosphorylation, and the ubiquitination levels of muscle samples were measured. The results demonstrated that the meat of samples in the tender group had a higher degradation of desmin and a lower phosphorylation level of desmin at 1 d compared with the tough group. The ubiquitination level of desmin, AMPK activity, and E3 ubiquitin ligase abundance in the tender group were noticeably higher than those in the tough group at 12 h. There was a negative correlation between the shear force and desmin degradation. The desmin degradation was negatively correlated with desmin phosphorylation and ubiquitination levels. The phosphorylation level of desmin was positively correlated with its ubiquitination. In summary, this study suggests that AMPK and E3 ubiquitin ligase concurrently play significant roles in regulating meat tenderness by regulating phosphorylation and ubiquitination in meat postmortem. Full article
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