Objective:Meat is biochemically active, and the various pre-and post-harvest processescan affect meat quality. Metabolomics is a valuable tool to elucidate metabolite changes in meat.The overall goal of this study was to provide an overview of various techniques, data analysis, andapplication of metabolomics in meat color research.Results:Both targeted and non-targeted approaches have been 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 incolor 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' rolein meat quality. There are challenges in data analysis; thus, there is a need for multiple platforms inorder to obtain comprehensive metabolite libraries specific to food. Metabolomics in combinationwith wet-laboratory techniques can provide novel insights on the relationship between postmortemmetabolism and meat color.

中文翻译：

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肉色代谢组学：实际意义

目的：肉类具有生化活性，收获前后的各种过程都会影响肉质。代谢组学是阐明肉类代谢物变化的宝贵工具。本研究的总体目标是概述代谢组学在肉类颜色研究中的各种技术、数据分析和应用。结果：靶向和非靶向方法都已被使用以确定肉类中的代谢物谱。研究人员使用气相色谱、液相色谱和核磁共振平台来分离分子。代谢组学用于表征肌肉在颜色稳定性、肉嫩度、老化对肉色的影响方面的特异性差异，并确定正常 pH 值和深色切割牛肉之间的代谢物分布差异。颜色稳定的肌肉比颜色不稳定的肌肉有更多的糖酵解代谢物。结论：代谢组学的使用大大加深了我们对代谢物在肉品质中作用的认识。数据分析存在挑战；因此，需要多个平台来获得针对食品的综合代谢物库。代谢组学与湿实验室技术相结合可以为死后代谢和肉色之间的关系提供新的见解。