Introduction: Paraclostridium bifermentans is responsible for spoilage properties in vacuum-packaged meat. Ordinary heat treatment techniques are ineffective to control the extremely heat-resistant spores of P. bifermentans. Therefore, finding a new strategy to prevent the contamination of P. bifermentans spores in vacuum-packaged meat is challenging.Methods: In this study, P. bifermentans was isolated from the vacuum-packaged chicken, and the inhibitory effects of licorice extract on the germination and outgrowth of P. bifermentans spores, as well as the key bioactive components in the licorice extract involved in inhibiting spore activity, were investigated.Results: The spores induced by combination-nutrient-germinant (150 mmol/L L-alanine and 20 mmol/L inosine, co-AI) did not germinate when the concentration of licorice extract was ≥ 3.13 mg/ml. The germination of P. bifermentans spores induced by non-nutrient-germinant (8 mmol/L dipicolinic acid, DPA) was completely prevented by licorice extract at least 1.56 mg/ml. While the outgrowth of P. bifermentans spores was inhibited at a concentration of 0.39 mg/ml. Licorice extract did not seem to damage the non-germinated spores but blocked the germinant sensing. Licorice extract prevented the outgrowing spores from becoming vegetable cells by disrupting the inner membrane. Furthermore, the results obtained from LC-MS data analysis exhibited 15 key bioactive compounds in licorice extract, such as glycyrrhizic acid, liquiritin, etc. Among them, glycyrrhizic acid and liquiritin apioside exerted efficient inhibitory properties on the germination and outgrowth of P. bifermentans spores.Discussion: This present study demonstrated that licorice extract can be used as a promising inhibitor of spores and provides a new method to control the residual P. bifermentans spores in meat products. Meanwhile, this study exhibits a baseline for the better understanding of the potential application of licorice extracts to control the P. bifermentans spores in meat products.

Food spoilage, primarily caused by spore-forming bacteria, has become a critical concern since it results in substantial economic losses within the food industry. Past investigations have successfully identified Bacillus licheniformis as the main bacterium responsible for spoilage in roast chicken. In this study, we screened a new sterilization combination from 16 germinants and 4 cold plasma conditions, respectively. Among them, the combination of “A”GFNa-1 (composed of 60 mmol/L L-alanine, 10 mmol/L D-glucose, 10 mmol/L D-fructose, and 1 g/L NaCl) with cold plasma treatment (packed with 100% argon at 70 kV) proved effective in deactivating B. licheniformis spores, resulting in a reduction of approximately 2.1 log CFU/mL. Furthermore, we exposed the spores to different conditions: CK (no germination, no cold plasma), MF (germination only), CP (no germination, 100% argon packed, 70 kV cold plasma treatment for 3 min), and MF + CP (germination for 5 h, 100% argon packed, 70 kV cold plasma treatment for 3 min). The results of heat inactivation and dipicolinic acid (DPA) release rate demonstrated that cold plasma treatment effectively inactivated both spores and vegetative cells without inducing germination. Additionally, the reduced survival under hyperosmotic conditions and the presence of distinct red fluorescence patterns observed through confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) collectively suggest that cold plasma treatment disrupts the inner membrane structure and leads to the inactivation of B. licheniformis. Overall, our findings indicate a spore clearance rate of 99.2% and suggest that the combination of efficient germinants and cold plasma treatment holds promise as a viable approach to mitigate spore contamination in the food industry.

With the sustained expansion of global meat consumption, advanced freezing and thawing technologies have become essential to preserve quality and extend shelf life within the food supply chain. This review systematically consolidates recent progress by examining fundamental principles, conventional techniques, emerging multi-physics methods (e.g., high-pressure-, ultrasound-, and electric field-assisted processing), and the integration of artificial intelligence (AI). It details the mechanism of ice-crystal formation and its impact on meat quality attributes. While conventional methods remain prevalent, their limitations in controlling ice crystallization are evident. Emerging technologies demonstrate superior capability in regulating ice morphology, thereby mitigating cellular damage. AI applications, including numerical simulation, quality monitoring via machine learning, and predictive modeling of thawing parameters, show considerable potential to enhance processing efficiency—though challenges in data scarcity and model generalizability remain. Collectively, these advancements form an integrated “theory–technology–intelligence” framework, supporting the development of more sustainable, efficient, and quality-focused meat processing systems.

In this study, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitory peptides (ACE–IPs) derived from Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) plasma hydrolysate (MDPH) were investigated. According to the general research protocol for bioactive peptides, the crude ACE–IPs of Muscovy duck plasma were separated and purified by ultrafiltration, gel chromatography and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP–HPLC). Then the components with the highest ACE inhibition potential were selected for identification. Finally, the inhibition mechanism was explored by molecular docking and in silico simulated digestion. A total of 121 peptides was detected, and five were screened for synthesis verification and molecular docking. The peptide VALSSLRP revealed high ACE inhibitory activity (91.67 ± 0.73%) because this peptide bound tightly to the S1′ pocket and formed 3 hydrogen bonds. Meaningfully, this work provides some new information about the generation of ACE–IPs derived from duck blood plasma.

Meat and its products, rich in protein, are one of the important potential sources of antioxidant peptides. However, reviews on the generation and application of meat-derived antioxidant peptides are still limited. To understand the research and application progress of meat-derived antioxidant peptides, the main formation pathways and their commercial applications are exhibited, the research methods for the isolation, purification, and identification are summarized, and the influencing factors, evaluation methods, and intestinal absorption pathways are presented in this work. It is summarized that limited degradation by exogenous and endogenous enzymatic hydrolysis is the main pathway for the production of animal-derived antioxidant peptides. Traditional separation, purification, and identification techniques are also applicable to animal-derived antioxidant peptides. The formation of animal-derived antioxidant peptides is affected by many factors, and the intestinal absorption pathways of antioxidant peptides are different. Finally, insufficient and future development directions are provided.