The review aims to take a comprehensive approach to summarizing the impact of dietary supplementation on pork quality. It specifically focuses on the effects of ingredients with high unsaturated fatty acid (UFAs) and natural antioxidants, as well as the various potential factors and mechanisms that influence the meat value change in pork. The fatty acids’ profile, particularly UFAs, is a crucial determinant of meat’s sensory quality. However, they are prone to instability due to lipid oxidation (LO) that occurs after slaughter. LO, caused by free radicals, is the most common process leading to unacceptable flavor in pork. It is now clear that LO is the primary process for reducing storage times, rather than the oxidation of proteins and vitamins, as UFAs easily react with oxidizing agents, leading to the destruction of lipid structure, change of meat texture and color, and alteration of pork taste from aroma to rancidity. The addition of ingredients with high UFAs into daily diets is, therefore, necessary to enhance the synthesis of these UFAs and improve pork quality value. Simultaneously, natural antioxidants effectively prevent LO by inhibiting autoxidation and preventing the appearance of free radicals, thereby enhancing pork flavor. This review comprehensively identifies, clarifies, and discusses the concentration of fatty acid profile in fat, how to improve the fatty acid profile, and how to tackle the prevention of autoxidation to enhance pork value quality. It also provides insight into the underlying mechanisms of meat quality changes under the potential supplementation of ingredients with high UFAs.
Keywords | Antioxidants, Meat quality, Lipid oxidation, Rancidity, Unsaturated fatty acids