Recent Advances in Flavor Chemistry in Meat, Poultry and Seafood: Safety Control and Quality Assessment

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2025 | Viewed by 4946

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
College of Food Science and Technology, Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing 210095, China
Interests: bioactive peptides; meat quality; meat flavour
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
Yunnan Engineering Technology Research Center for Processing of Livestock Products, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, China
Interests: poultry flavour; bioactive peptides; functional ingredients

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, significant progress has been made in the field of flavour chemistry for meat, poultry, and seafood. This is due to the growing demand for high quality and safe food products that meet the ever-increasing health and safety standards set by regulatory agencies.

One of the major advances in the field has been the development of new analytical methods for the identification and quantification of flavour compounds. These methods include gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS), liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. These techniques allow for the rapid and accurate analysis of complex flavour profiles in meat, poultry, and seafood products.

Another important development is the use of biotechnology to enhance the flavour quality of these products. Biotechnology can enhance the natural flavours of meat, poultry, and seafood via altering their genetic composition or through the use of enzymes and microorganisms. Bioactive peptides in meat, for example, can also provide unique flavours and aromas. In the food industry, peptides are also used to improve the flavour and nutritional value of foods.

In addition, there is growing interest in the use of natural ingredients to enhance the flavour of meat, poultry, and seafood products. Natural ingredients such as herbs, spices, and other plant extracts are increasingly being used as alternatives to synthetic flavour enhancers.

However, despite these advances, challenges remain in ensuring the safety and quality of meat, poultry, and seafood products. One of the main issues is the presence of harmful substances such as antibiotics, pesticides, and heavy metals in these products. To address this issue, regulators have implemented stringent monitoring and testing protocols to ensure that these products meet the safety standards.

Overall, the field of flavour chemistry for meat, poultry, and seafood is rapidly evolving, with new technologies and processes being developed to improve the safety and quality of these products. As consumers become more health conscious and demanding, it is likely that we will continue to see further advances in this field within the coming years.

Dr. Lujuan Xing
Dr. Zhizhao Xiao
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • flavour chemistry
  • meat
  • poultry
  • seafood
  • analytical chemistry
  • rapid determination
  • biotechnology
  • bioactive peptides
  • functional ingredients
  • safety control
  • quality assessment

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 3856 KiB  
Article
Comparative Analysis of Myofiber Characteristics, Shear Force, and Amino Acid Contents in Slow- and Fast-Growing Broilers
by Shuang Gu, Jia Gao, Zehao Li, Shenbo Zhang, Chaoliang Wen, Congjiao Sun, Wei Yan, Zhuocheng Hou, Ning Yang and Junying Li
Foods 2024, 13(24), 3997; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13243997 - 11 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1012
Abstract
Skeletal muscle fiber characteristics are pivotal in assessing meat quality. However, there is currently a lack of research precisely quantifying the total number of myofibers (TNM) of skeletal muscles. This study used Arbor Acres (AA) broilers and Wenchang (WC) chickens to determine the [...] Read more.
Skeletal muscle fiber characteristics are pivotal in assessing meat quality. However, there is currently a lack of research precisely quantifying the total number of myofibers (TNM) of skeletal muscles. This study used Arbor Acres (AA) broilers and Wenchang (WC) chickens to determine the TNM of several skeletal muscles and the meat quality of the pectoralis major muscle (PM). The results showed that the TNMs of the PM in AA males and females were 935,363.64 ± 92,529.28 and 873,983.72 ± 84,511.28, respectively, significantly higher than those in WC (511,468.97 ± 73,460.81 and 475,371.93 ± 70,187.83) at 7 days of age (p < 0.01). In terms of gastrocnemius medialis in AA males and females, we recorded values of 207,551.43 ± 31,639.97 and 177,203.23 ± 28,764.01, showing a significant difference compared to the values observed in WC (146,313.03 ± 29,633.21 and 124,238.9 ± 20,136.95) (p < 0.01). Similarly, the levels of gastrocnemius lateralis exhibited a significant difference between AA and WC (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the essential, umami, and sweet amino acids were found to be significantly higher in WC compared to AA (p < 0.01). These findings offer valuable data and insights for accurately quantifying the TNM in livestock and for the development of further genetic breeding strategies for meat quality. Full article
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14 pages, 7171 KiB  
Article
Dietary Pleurotus citrinopileatus Polysaccharide Improves Growth Performance and Meat Quality Associated with Alterations of Gut Microbiota in Arbor Acre Broilers
by Nannan Zhou, Xiaoxiao Song, Changxi Wu, Shuangmin Liang, Liangyu Yang, Changrong Ge and Zhichao Xiao
Foods 2024, 13(21), 3426; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13213426 - 28 Oct 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1488
Abstract
Adding edible fungal polysaccharides to animal diets improves growth performance, meat quality, intestinal health, and immunity without adverse effects. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Pleurotus citrinopileatus polysaccharide (PCP, including PCP250, PCP500, PCP750, and PCP1000 mg/kg) on the growth performance, meat [...] Read more.
Adding edible fungal polysaccharides to animal diets improves growth performance, meat quality, intestinal health, and immunity without adverse effects. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of Pleurotus citrinopileatus polysaccharide (PCP, including PCP250, PCP500, PCP750, and PCP1000 mg/kg) on the growth performance, meat quality, and microbial composition of Arbor Acre (AA) broilers (total 180) by metabolomics and high-throughput sequencing. The results showed that adding PCP enhanced chicken meat tenderness, redness (a*), and water retention and raised essential amino acids and flavor amino acids (such as umami and sweet amino acids) content. The metabolomics revealed that IMP, creatine, betaine, sarcosine, and taurine were related to improving meat quality in broilers by PCP addition. In addition, amino acid, purine, and lipid metabolism were the main metabolic pathways. Moreover, PCP could regulate muscle metabolism by increasing the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae and Lactobacillus and the content of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Therefore, PCP may become a promising new dietary supplement in the future, which may improve the yield and quality of broiler chickens. Full article
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14 pages, 3967 KiB  
Article
Volatile Flavor Analysis in Yak Meat: Effects of Different Breeds, Feeding Methods, and Parts Using GC-IMS and Multivariate Analyses
by Hongqiang Li, Bin Xi, Shuqin Lin, Defu Tang, Yaqin Gao, Xiangmin Zhao, Jing Liang, Wanyun Yang and Jinlu Li
Foods 2024, 13(19), 3130; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13193130 - 30 Sep 2024
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 981
Abstract
This study investigates the effects of breeds, feeding methods, and parts on the volatile flavor of yak meat. Gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) and multivariate analysis were used to analyze the volatile organic components (VOCs) in yak meat from various sources. A total [...] Read more.
This study investigates the effects of breeds, feeding methods, and parts on the volatile flavor of yak meat. Gas chromatography–ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) and multivariate analysis were used to analyze the volatile organic components (VOCs) in yak meat from various sources. A total of 71 volatile compounds were identified, 53 of which were annotated based on the GC-IMS database. These include 20 alcohols, 16 ketones, 10 aldehydes, four alkenes, one ester, one acid, and one furan. Using VOC fingerprinting and multivariate analysis, yak meats from different sources were distinctly categorized. Breed had the most significant impact on yak meat VOCs, followed by feeding method and then part. Six volatiles with a variable importance in projection value greater than one were identified as potential markers for distinguishing yak meat. This study offers insights into the flavor profile of yak meat from different sources and demonstrates the efficacy of GC-IMS and multivariate analysis in characterizing and discriminating meats. Full article
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Review

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19 pages, 9067 KiB  
Review
The Aroma of Non-Fermented and Fermented Dry-Cured Meat Products: Savory and Toasted Odors
by Lei Li, Carmela Belloch and Mónica Flores
Foods 2025, 14(5), 881; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14050881 - 5 Mar 2025
Viewed by 804
Abstract
Volatile chemicals containing nitrogen and sulfur as key odors in dry-cured meat products have extremely low odor thresholds. These compounds play an important part in the overall uniqueness and characteristic flavor of dry-cured meat products, contributing to savory and toasted aroma sensations, respectively. [...] Read more.
Volatile chemicals containing nitrogen and sulfur as key odors in dry-cured meat products have extremely low odor thresholds. These compounds play an important part in the overall uniqueness and characteristic flavor of dry-cured meat products, contributing to savory and toasted aroma sensations, respectively. In this review, we define the different volatiles and aroma compounds related to the flavor of dry-cured meat products. Moreover, the main differences regarding volatiles, aromas, and flavor profiles from non-fermented and fermented dry-cured meat products are summarized. Comparisons using the same volatile extraction techniques revealed that dry loins contained the most sulfur- and nitrogen-containing compounds, while complex flavor and aroma compounds in fermented sausages were greatly impacted by the fermentation process. The screening and quantification of savory and toasted odors showed that methionol, dimethyl sulfide, and 2-methyl-3-(methylthio)furan were mainly reported in non-fermented products, whereas pyrazines were mainly detected in fermented meat products. Finally, the different mechanisms in the generation of savory and toasted aromas, including chemical reactions and biochemical reactions by microorganisms (bacteria, yeast, and molds), are discussed. These discussions will help to better understand the complex flavor of dry-cured meat products. Full article
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