Metabolomics of Meat Color: Practical Implications

Objective: Meat is biochemically active. Various pre-and post-harvest processes affect meat quality. Metabolomics is a valuable tool to elucidate metabolite changes in meat. The overall goal of this mini-review was to provide an overview of various techniques, data analysis, and application of metabolomics in meat color research. Results: Both targeted and non-targeted approaches are used to determine metabolite profiles in meat. Researchers use gas-, liquid-chromatography, and nuclear magnetic resonance platforms to separate molecules. Metabolomics is used to characterize muscle-specific differences in color stability, meat tenderness, the impact of aging on meat color, and to determine metabolite profile differences between normal-pH and dark-cutting beef. Color stable muscles have more glycolytic metabolites than color labile muscles. Conclusion: The use of metabolomics has greatly enhanced our understanding of metabolites' role in meat quality. There is a need for multiple databases to obtain comprehensive metabolite libraries specific to food. Metabolomics in combination with wet-laboratory techniques can provide novel insights on the relationship between postmortem metabolism and meat color.