Progress in the Application of Microfluidics in Meat Quality and Safety Detection

The protein sources for Chinese people are meat, eggs, milk, soy products, etc., of which the most important are meat and meat products. As a high-protein food, meat is susceptible to microbial spoilage and quality deterioration caused by endogenous enzymes during production, processing, storage and distribution. In addition, the problems of antibiotic and hormone abuse, heavy metal contamination and meat adulteration occur from time to time, which not only harm the vital interests of consumers, but also greatly threaten the personal safety of the public, disrupting the market order and reducing public confidence in food safety. At present, the traditional meat detection techniques are cumbersome and require time-consuming sample pretreatment, so they are unable to achieve fast, cheap and accurate large-scale screening of meat products. In recent years, the development of emerging technologies, especially microfluidics, can well solve the drawbacks of the traditional meat testing methods. This paper analyzes and discusses the concept, history and future of microfluidics and the innovative application of microfluidic devices in meat quality and safety detection, with a view to providing new insights into the development of a new generation of meat testing technology.