Research Progress on Quality Evaluation and Preservation Methods of Ostrich Meat

Ostrich meat is a novel food resource in our country, with its market share increasing annually. However, research on ostrich meat in our country is lacking. Ostrich meat and its products are rich in nutrients. Nevertheless, due to intrinsic quality variations and the combined influence of external factors, ostrich meat is prone to spoilage and deterioration during storage and transportation, which can even lead to foodborne illnesses. Therefore, research on the quality assessment and preservation methods of ostrich meat is particularly important. This article provides a comprehensive overview of the methods for evaluating the quality of ostrich meat from various aspects such as nutrition and safety quality, eating quality, and processing quality. It analyzes the main factors leading to spoilage and deterioration of ostrich meat during preservation, such as microbial growth and reproduction, lipid oxidation, and protein oxidation, and summarizes the techniques used to preserve ostrich meat such as temperature control, packaging technology, preservative application, aiming to serve as a reference for establishing an ostrich meat quality assessment system and developing preservation methods in order to promote the healthy development of the ostrich industry.