Abstract: As a very important group of proteins in muscle, myofibrillar proteins can directly affect the quality of meat products. However, myofibrillar proteins are prone to oxidation during processing and storage, which leads to a series of adverse consequences, such as amino acid side chain modification, protein cross-linking, aggregation and functional alterations. Polyphenols, potent natural antioxidants, can effectively inhibit the oxidation of myofibrillar proteins by interacting with them, while affecting their structure, function and nutritional properties. In this article, we summarize the mechanism of the free radical chain reaction involved in myofibrillar protein oxidation, the structure-activity relationship of polyphenols as an antioxidant against myofibrillar protein oxidation, the mechanisms of the covalent and non-covalent interactions between polyphenols and myofibrillar proteins, and the effects of the interactions on the structure and properties of myofibrillar proteins. Through this review, we hope to provide theoretical guidance for the application of polyphenols in meat product preservation.

Key words: polyphenols; myofibrillar proteins; protein oxidation; action mechanism; protein digestibility