Grape pomace (GP), a byproduct of winemaking, has gained significant attention as a sustainable and functional ingredient with applications in the food and nutraceutical industries. This review examines the potential of GP in meat products and analogs, functional foods, and nutraceuticals, highlighting its composition, health benefits, and role in enhancing nutritional and functional properties. Rich in dietary fiber, polyphenols, essential fatty acids, and bioactive compounds, GP exhibits antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and gut health-promoting effects, making it suitable for various food applications. Its incorporation into meat products, such as sausages and patties, improves texture, enhances shelf life, and increases nutritional value while reducing the environmental footprint. GP is also effective in functional foods such as baked goods, dairy and plant-based yoghurts, smoothies, and snack bars, where it can enrich fiber and polyphenol content, aid in satiety, and provide health benefits beyond basic nutrition. The challenge is how to maintain the sensory properties characteristic of conventional, unmodified products. In nutraceuticals, GP’s polyphenolic compounds and dietary fiber support antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and metabolic health functions, with applications as antioxidant supplements, gut health boosters, weight management aids, and cardiovascular health supplements. Despite challenges such as taste modification and optimizing bioavailability, GP’s versatility and sustainability highlight its value in developing innovative, health-oriented products. This review emphasizes the promise of GP as a valuable ingredient in functional foods and nutraceutical formulations, contributing to health, sustainability, and resource efficiency.

The fatty acid profile and the related indices of the nutritional quality of breast and thigh muscles were studied in two lines of chickens – La Belle (LB) and White Plymouth Rock (WPR) – slaughtered at the age of 9 and 18 weeks. The fatty acid profile was more affected by the age than the line of the birds; however, the influence of both differed between the breast and thigh. The content of total saturated fatty acids (SFAs) increased in the thigh (P < 0.01), while that of the monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) decreased with age in both muscles (P < 0.001). This corresponded to the significant decrease in C18:1 in the older chickens and the lower desaturase activity (P < 0.001). The contents of C20:4n-6, C22:5n-3 and C22:6n-3 and the total amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in breast were higher (P < 0.001) at the age of 18 weeks. A similar pattern in the individual and total PUFA was observed in the thighs. The effect of line was more visible in the breast, leading to a lower C14:0 content and C20:5n-3 and a higher C18:0 content in the WPR chickens (P < 0.001), corresponding to the higher elongase and thioesterase indices in these birds. Both atherogenic (AI) and thrombogenic (TI) indices were lowered, while the ratio of hypocholesterolemic ∕ hypercholesterolemic fatty acids (h ∕ H) and polyunsaturated ∕ saturated fatty acids (P ∕ S) increased in the breast of the birds at 18 weeks. In breast and thigh meat, the ratio of n-6 ∕ n-3 PUFA decreased in the older chickens (P < 0.001).

This review highlights the latest research on dietary fibre (DF) applications in meat and meat analogues, providing insights into their role in shaping future food innovations. DFs provide significant long-term health benefits, such as better gut health, lower cholesterol levels, and possible protection from metabolic diseases. They also enhance the texture, juiciness, and overall quality of plant-based meat alternatives (PMAs) and traditional meat products. Among the most effective fibres, cereal-derived fibres, fruit- and vegetable-derived fibres, and legume-based fibres have been shown to improve water-holding capacity (WHC) and emulsification properties, enhancing mouthfeel and juiciness. New processing methods, such as enzymatic hydrolysis and extrusion, can change how fibres work. By combining various fibre sources with innovative processing methods, the food industry can create meat and PMA products that are not only healthier but also tastier and more sustainable.

Meat manufacturers are nowadays in a very unenviable position. Both meat and meat products require the utilization of various additives due to their chemical composition. On the other hand, consumers demand fresh, additive-free, and high-quality products with extended shelf-life, which might be considered as healthier, even functional food. These facts push manufacturers and researchers in pursuit of modern technologies and supplements to meet these high demands. Since a high daily intake of sodium and fat might cause severe health issues, reducing these ingredients in meat products is the first task towards healthier food. Sodium can be reduced by ultrasound, high-pressure processing, pulsed electric field, and replacement of NaCl with KCl, calcium gluconate, calcium glycerophosphate, calcium lactate, and monosodium glutamate. The reduction of the fat content can be achieved through a decrease in the amount of fatty tissue in the inital mixture and/or replacement with non-lipid components, or by partial fatty tissue replacement with oils rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids. Utilization of plant proteins (soy, wheat gluten, pea, chickpea, lentil, potato, barley, oat, rice, etc.), mycoproteins or micro-algae proteins, plant fats (palm and coconut fat, canola, sunflower, soy and corn oil, etc.), and polysaccharides (starches, fibers), accompanied by a meat-like fibrous structure, resulted in delicious “meat” products, which are considered a healthier alternative to real meat. Growing interest in the replacement of potentially adverse synthetic meat additives favors the use of plant (herb, fruit and vegetable) extracts, as an endless source of bioactive substances with strong antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. These extracts can be used either in raw meat or meat products, as well as in the fodder. Reformulation strategies strengthen and ensure the willingness of consumers to pay a higher price for their own demands regarding the naturalness of synthetic, clean-labeled, additive-free meat products. After a gradual alignment with strategic national/international recommendations and legal/sub-legal frameworks, the added value of such meat products opens wide the door to new segments/entire markets.