In the storage and processing of meat products, lipid hydrolysis is an important factor affecting the quality and flavor of meat products. Lipid hydrolysis occurs mainly due to the action of lipase, and different endogenous lipase acts on different sites of the lipid molecule to form a variety of products such as aldehydes, alcohols, esters and hydrocarbons, which greatly affects the flavor of meat products. Proper lipid hydrolysis is conducive to improving the flavor of meat products, but excessive lipid hydrolysis will lead to a decrease in the quality of meat products, protein oxidation and rancid odor. Furthermore, there is a correlation between lipid hydrolysis and lipid oxidation, and free fatty acids formed by lipid hydrolysis can be oxidized, resulting in a decrease in the quality and flavor substances of meat products. Controlling the degree of lipid hydrolysis is conducive to improving the quality of meat products and determining conditions that are more conducive to the preservation and processing of meat products. Lipid hydrolysis has a greater impact on unsaturated fatty acids, and the action of lipase on lipid has attracted the attention of many scholars. This paper reviews the mechanism of lipid hydrolysis in meat and meat products, and the resulting chemical changes as well as the influence of lipid hydrolysis on the quality and flavor of meant and meat products.

Lipids are important constituents of organisms. The type, structure and amount of lipids in meat can be investigated by various techniques such as mass spectrometry (MS), providing the basis for understanding the role that different lipids play in meat products. With the support of modern technology, the influence of lipidomics in meat research has gradually increased. Lipidomics allows visual understanding of the influence of lipids on meat quality and flavor, which has been increasingly applied in meat quality research by determining marker lipids. This paper summarizes recent research on the effect of different classes of lipids on meat quality, and reviews the application of lipidomics in meat research.