Development of Functional Meat Products Enriched with Plant-Based Bioactive Compounds

Abstract

: Increased consumer interest in healthier, clean label food products has increased research efforts on the production of functional meat products with increased bioactive compounds found in plants.Despite being good sources of high-quality protein and important micronutrients, traditional meat products are commonly criticized to containing high saturated fats, cholesterol and synthetic additives, in addition to the absence of dietary fiber and natural antioxidants.This review provides a critical analysis of the more recent developments in the addition of different plant-derived bioactives, such as polyphenols, carotenoids, dietary fibers, essential oils and plant protein hydrolysates, to meat-based matrices.These compounds have both techno-functional properties: as natural preservatives, they inhibit lipid oxidation, protein oxidation and microbial spoilage, thereby prolonging product shelf life, as well as having health-promoting properties, including antioxidant, anti-hypertensive, anti-inflammatory, and hypocholesterolemia properties.Nevertheless, significant difficulties remain, such as the formation of off-flavors, unwanted color changes (e.g. browning or fading), textural deterioration and decreased overall consumer acceptability in cases of bioactive compound addition beyond optimal levels, which are mostly 0.5-5% w/w.The new encapsulation technologies like microencapsulation, nanoemulsions and edible coatings are identified as the effective methods to conceal the undesirable sensory properties, to control the release of bioactives and retain their functionality even during thermal treatment and storage.The future research needs to focus on human intervention studies to support health assertions, standardization of extraction and incorporation procedure to provide batch-to-batch consistency and use of green technology to produce at sustainable levels.Moreover, the lack of definite regulatory frameworks regarding the labelling of the product of functional meat is also a major obstacle to commercial translation.To sum up, strategic fortification of meat products with plant-based bioactive compounds is a feasible and promising formulation approach to radicalize conventional meat into functional foods that can satisfy the demands of modern consumers regarding their sensual pleasure and health promotion, as long as challenges linked to formulations can be overcome with new processing technologies.