Theoretical Aspects of Meat Tenderness and Research Progress on Meat Tenderization

Tenderness is one of the most important meat quality attributes. It is closely related to the selling price, consumer satisfaction and willingness to repeat purchase. Recently, plant-based meat and cultured meat are gaining great popularity, which pursue mimicking the sensory properties of meat including the unique texture. This paper reviews the major factors influencing meat tenderness and recent progress in research on meat tenderness. Firstly, the definition and evaluation methods of meat tenderness and are briefly introduced. Secondly, the major factors influencing meat tenderness and the underlying mechanism are thoroughly discussed from the perspectives of sarcomere length, connective tissue and proteolysis. Finally, the methods used to regulate meat tenderness and the latest research progress are briefly described. We expect that this review will provide theoretical support for the traditional meat industry, as well as the research and development of meat analogues and 3D-printed meat, etc.