Dimensional reduction of meat structure to create novel applications

To meet the demands of sustainable, healthy, and versatile meat products, this review provides the cutting edge research on the molecular characteristics and functionality of meat protein nanofibrils with the aim to fill the knowledge gap in the tailored production of muscle foods. It starts with the introduction of structural and nutritional characteristics of meat and discusses their product development potential and existing technical challenges. To address these issues, emphasis is placed on a particularly versatile strategy, that is, dimensional reduction of meat structure and production of meat protein nanofibrils to create new functionalities. This review also highlights the importance of mesoscopic polymorphism of nanofibrils and soft matter physics as an appealing approach in the interpretation. Finally, novel applications in texture-modified meat products, liquid foods, and 3D printing foods are exemplified. More research is needed to probe the structure–property relations of meat protein by model identification and validation. This review offers unique perspectives for structuring meat proteins, which will inspire the tailored manufacture of advanced meat products.