{"title":"Red meat biochemical and flavor changes through postmortem aging","authors":"Jerrad F. Legako","doi":"10.1016/j.meatsci.2025.109885","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Red meats consist of beef, pork, and lamb which commonly undergo postmortem aging prior to consumption. Palatability of red meats is greatly influenced by flavor. Furthermore, consumers frequently describe flavor to be the most important red meat palatability attribute. During the aging period biochemical mechanisms progress which may liberate or develop flavor contributing metabolites. Factors such as aging type (wet or dry), duration, and temperature are demonstrated to be of significant influence on development of flavor related metabolites. Likewise, microbial growth during aging may further influence flavor contributing metabolites and perceived flavor. Each of these factors may impact flavor differently among beef, pork, and lamb. This review takes aim at describing the biochemical mechanisms that generate flavor related metabolites during aging. Secondly, the effects of aging parameters will be described for beef, pork, and lamb.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":389,"journal":{"name":"Meat Science","volume":"229 ","pages":"Article 109885"},"PeriodicalIF":6.1000,"publicationDate":"2025-08-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Meat Science","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0309174025001469","RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"Agricultural and Biological Sciences","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Red meats consist of beef, pork, and lamb which commonly undergo postmortem aging prior to consumption. Palatability of red meats is greatly influenced by flavor. Furthermore, consumers frequently describe flavor to be the most important red meat palatability attribute. During the aging period biochemical mechanisms progress which may liberate or develop flavor contributing metabolites. Factors such as aging type (wet or dry), duration, and temperature are demonstrated to be of significant influence on development of flavor related metabolites. Likewise, microbial growth during aging may further influence flavor contributing metabolites and perceived flavor. Each of these factors may impact flavor differently among beef, pork, and lamb. This review takes aim at describing the biochemical mechanisms that generate flavor related metabolites during aging. Secondly, the effects of aging parameters will be described for beef, pork, and lamb.
期刊介绍:
The aim of Meat Science is to serve as a suitable platform for the dissemination of interdisciplinary and international knowledge on all factors influencing the properties of meat. While the journal primarily focuses on the flesh of mammals, contributions related to poultry will be considered if they enhance the overall understanding of the relationship between muscle nature and meat quality post mortem. Additionally, papers on large birds (e.g., emus, ostriches) as well as wild-captured mammals and crocodiles will be welcomed.