Meat and meat products are important foods in the human diet, but there are concerns about their quality and safety. The discovery of carcinogenic and genotoxic N-nitroso compounds (NOCs) in processed meat products has had serious negative impacts on the meat industry. In order to clarify the relationship between the use of nitrite or nitrate and the safety of meat or meat products, we reviewed NOCs in meat and meat products, the origin and safety implications of NOCs, effects of nitrite and nitrate on meat quality, national regulations, recent publications concerning the using of nitrite and nitrate in meat or meat products, and reduction methods. By comparing and analyzing references, (1) we found antioxidant, flavor improvement and shelf-life extension effects were recently proposed functions of nitrite and nitrate on meat quality, (2) the multiple functions of nitrite and nitrate in meat and meat products couldn't be fully replaced by other food additives at present, (3) we observed that the residual nitrite in raw meat and fried meat products was not well monitored, (4) alternative additives seem to be the most successful methods of replacing nitrite in meat processing, currently. The health risks of consuming processed meat products should be further evaluated, and more effective methods or additives for replacing nitrite or nitrate are needed.

To characterize the quality of widely consumed pork in China, the chemical compositions and other indexes of five breeds of pork were compared. The results indicated that the moisture content, sensory flavor, and overall acceptability of Pipa pork (PPP) were superior to other breeds. The fat content and essential amino acids (EAA) of Yihao native pork (YNP) were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than in other breeds. The protein content, the total amount of amino acids, and perceptible flavor of Tibetan black pork (TBP) were higher than in other breeds. The protein nutrition profiles of manor black pork (MBP) and TBP were better than in others. The equivalent umami concentration (EUC) value of white pork (WP) was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than in others; however, the health risk of its fatty acid content was higher. There were unique protein and flavor chemicals in YNP, TBP, and PPP, which may be useful for distinguishing their authenticity.

To evaluate the storage stability and flavor changes of marinated pork treated with chili and pepper essential oils, the contents of total sulfhydryl, malondialdehyde, total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN), Ca²⁺ATPase activity, and total viable counts of marinated pork were determined. Further, the non-volatile (umami, numb, and spicy) and volatile flavor compounds of marinated pork were analyzed. Based on the results, the chili and pepper essential oils had limited effects on the storage stability of marinated pork. However, these essential oils could inhibit the oxidation of lipids and proteins and reduce the number of microorganisms and TVBN in marinated pork within 6 days. The non-volatile flavors of the marinated pork decreased as the refrigeration time increased. It was concluded that the decomposition of umami-enhancing nucleotides (GMP, IMP, XMP), the number of flavor substances (hydroxyl-α-sanshool, hydroxyl-β-sanshool), and spicy (capsaicin) tasting compounds caused the decrease in non-volatile flavors.

Silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) is normally cooked at a high temperature. In order to explore the effects of cooking methods on the protein nutritional values and volatile flavor substances of silver carp meat, the meat was fried, roasted and steamed, and its contents were determined in relation to moisture, protein, fat, ash, amino acids and volatile flavor substances. The results show that the moisture content of cooked silver carp can be ranked as follows: raw > steamed > roasted > fried. The protein content order of the four samples can be ranked: fried > roasted > raw > steamed. The ash and the fat contents of the four samples showed similar significant (p < 0.05) differences, in the order of fried > roasted > steamed > raw. The contents of all the amino acids in the fried meat were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than the contents in others, and the frying, roasting and steaming processes improved the umami taste (supported by the increased content of glutamate and aspartate) and the protein nutritional value (supported by the amino acid score, essential amino acid index and protein efficiency ratio) of the silver carp meat. A total of 51 compounds were detected in the fried, roasted and steamed meat. Frying and roasting reduced the fishy flavor of this meat. The odor activity value (OAV) indicated that methanethiol, 1-octen-3-ol and 2-heptanone were the key flavor chemicals in raw meat. Hexanal, propionaldehyde, octanal, nonanal, decanal, 1-octen-3-ol and 2-heptanone were key to the flavor of fried meat. Pentanal, decanal, methyl mercap-tan and 1-octen-3-ol contributed greatly to the overall flavor of the roasted meat. Nonanal, methylmercaptan and 1-octene-3-ol had strong effects on the flavor of the steamed silver carp meat.

To extend the survival of crucian carp (Carassius auratus) during transportation, the effect of deep dormancy temperature (DDT) cultivation on the crucian carp was investigated by measuring the respiratory rate, survival time, and effect of cooling speed on the meat quality. The results of the respiratory rate and survival time indicated that the DDT of the crucian carp was 1.6 °C. The cooling speed had a significant (p < 0.05) influence on the quality of the crucian carp meat, with a faster cooling speed resulting in a lower pH, L* value, a* value, gumminess, springiness, cohesiveness, stickiness, chewiness, CMP, and UMP content for the crucian carp meat, thus resulting in a lower sensory score for the crucian carp meat. A possible reason for the decrease in the quality of the crucian carp meat is that the faster cooling speed led to a strong stress response and higher anaerobic metabolism in the crucian carp. This can be supported by the contents of the blood glucose and lactic acid in the crucian carp treated with higher cooling speed being significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that of the control. Combining all the results of the cooling speed on the eating quality of the crucian carp meat, a cooling speed of 2 °C/h followed by 1 °C/h was suggested for the survival of crucian carp in transit.