Natural Antioxidants in Meat and Meat Products

Dear Colleagues,

As in other food industries, the present trends in the meat industry have their origin in the new needs of consumers. The demand for natural, healthy, and “clean label” products is increasingly important. However, in meat and meat products, oxidative reactions are one of the most critical degradative processes, which implies the addition of additives to maintain the characteristics and shelf-life of these products.

Nevertheless, the intake of synthetic additives typically used in the foods was related to health problems. Due to this, several natural compounds/extracts for the replacement of synthetic additives have been investigated in recent decades. These possess high antioxidant, antimicrobial, stabilizing and/or colorant properties. Though, their stability is generally lower than the synthetic compounds. To overcome this aspect, encapsulation techniques have been proposed, and novel and potent natural additives have been obtained. The encapsulation techniques also allow a simple procedure for the incorporation of these compounds in the meat and better control of the release rate (continuous and prolonged effect). 

Similarly, several emerging technologies have proved their efficiency in extracting bioactive compounds from multiple raw materials, improving their functionality and reducing the use of some toxic solvents or expensive procedures with long times.

Finally, in addition to the replacement of synthetic compounds and increased food shelf-life and safety, the use of natural antioxidants/extracts could have a positive effect on human health since they can be used to obtain functional meat products enriched in antioxidant and health-promoting bioactive compounds.

We invite researchers to contribute original or review articles related to the obtention, purification, stabilization, and/or application of natural bioactive compounds in meat formulation.

Dr. Rubén Domínguez
Dr. Mirian Pateiro
Dr. Manuel Viuda-Martos
Guest Editors

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• lipid oxidation
• protein oxidation
• natural extracts
• natural antioxidants
• emerging technologies
• meat shelf-life
• bioactive compounds
• natural meat products
• active packaging