Journal of Food Safety and Quality

As the demand for meat products has risen sharply, ensuring the quality and freshness of meat has become a major challenge for the industry. It is known that meat spoilage is a complex biochemical process involving the action of microorganisms and the accumulation of various compounds, during which many characteristic substances are produced, such as biological amines, volatile basic nitrogen, hypoxanthine, hydrogen sulfide, etc. However, the traditional methods of freshness assessment are time-consuming and not precise enough to provide accurate detection results. Therefore, this review focused on introducing some emerging detection technologies, including biosensors, gas sensors, electronic noses, electronic tongues and spectroscopic techniques, covered their principles and applications. These technologies could not only rapidly and non-destructively assess the freshness of meat but also provided clear information on the overall safety and quality of meat products, reducing waste caused by spoilage. Finally, the review discussesed the trends of future meat freshness detection technologies, which were expected to become more advanced, intelligent and user-friendly providing more efficient and intelligent solutions for the food industry.

meat; freshness; detection; emerging technologies