Color is an essential criterion for assessing the freshness, quality, and acceptability of red meat and certain fish with red muscle. Myoglobin (Mb), one of the significant pigment substances, is the uppermost reason to keep the color of red meat. Their oxidation and browning are easy to occur throughout the storage and processing period. Natural antioxidants are substances with antioxidant activity extracted from plants, such as plant polyphenols. Consumers prefer natural antioxidants due to safety concerns and limitations on the use of synthetic antioxidants. In recent years, plant polyphenols have been widely used as antioxidants to slow down the deterioration of product quality due to oxidation. As natural antioxidants, it is necessary to strengthen the researches on the antioxidant mechanism of plant polyphenols to solve the discoloration of red meat and certain fish. A fundamental review of the relationship between Mb oxidation and color stability is discussed. The inhibiting mechanisms of polyphenols on lipid and Mb oxidation are presented and investigated. Meanwhile, this review comprehensively outlines applications of plant polyphenols in improving color stability. This will provide reference and theoretical support for the rational application of plant polyphenols in green meat processing.
Keywords: Plant polyphenols; antioxidant mechanism; application; color stability; myoglobin.