Abstract: Meat color is an important indicator to determine consumers’ desire to purchase. Among the many factors can affect meat color, lipid oxidation is an important one. Lipid oxidation affects meat color mainly through primary and secondary metabolites produced from this process and its impact on mitochondrial activity. The effect of primary metabolites from lipid oxidation on meat color has been very clear. However, the effect of secondary metabolites from lipid oxidation on meat color and the pathways by which lipid oxidation affects meat color indirectly through its impact on mitochondria activity have not been fully understood. In this article, we review recent knowledge on the mechanism of lipid oxidation and the pathways by which it affects meat color, and we summarize the main factors influencing the progress of lipid oxidation and the available methods for controlling this process, in order to provide a theoretical rationale for meat color maintenance by controlling lipid oxidation control in the future.

Key words: meat color; lipid oxidation; myoglobin oxidation; secondary metabolites