Applications of algae to obtain healthier meat products: A critical review on nutrients, acceptability and quality

Meat constitutes one the main protein sources worldwide. However, ethical and health concerns have limited its consumption over the last years. To overcome this negative impact, new ingredients from natural sources are being applied to meat products to obtain healthier proteinaceous meat products. Algae is a good source of unsaturated fatty acids, proteins, essential amino acids, and vitamins, which can nutritionally enrich several foods. On this basis, algae have been applied to meat products as a functional ingredient to obtain healthier meat-based products. This paper mainly reviews the bioactive compounds in algae and their application in meat products. The bioactive ingredients present in algae can give meat products functional properties such as antioxidant, neuroprotective, antigenotoxic, resulting in healthier foods. At the same time, algae addition to foods can also contribute to delay microbial spoilage extending shelf-life. Additionally, other algae-based applications such as for packaging materials for meat products are being explored. However, consumers’ acceptance for new products (particularly in Western countries), namely those containing algae, not only depends on their knowledge, but also on their eating habits. Therefore, it is necessary to further explore the nutritional properties of algae-containing meat products to overcome the gap between new meat products and traditional products, so that healthier algae-containing meat can occupy a significant place in the market.

Min Wang and Jianjun Zhou were supported by a PhD fellowship from the China Scholarship Council (CSC) (No. 201908420245 and No. 201908420246, respectively). Thanks are due to the University of Aveiro and FCT/MCT for the financial support for the LAQV research unit (UIDB/50006/2020) through national funds and, where applicable, co-financed by the FEDER, within the PT2020 Partnership Agreement, and to the Portuguese NMR Network, and for financing the PhD grant of Jéssica Tavares and Carlos A. Pinto (2021.07264.BD and SFRH/BD/137036/2018, respectively).

Peer reviewed