Abstract: Nitrite has been used widely in meat products because of its unique properties, especially its role in promoting the color development of meat products and its bacteriostatic effect. Searching for nitrite alternatives has become an urgent topic for the meat industry due to consumers’ concerns about the potential health risk associated with nitrite and consumers’ demand for natural products with a clean label. As a natural pigment substance, zinc protoporphyrin (ZnPP) has a significant advantage in promoting the color development of meat products. This paper introduces the properties, formation mechanism, quantitative analysis and distribution in meat products of ZnPP, with a focus on the factors influencing ZnPP formation. Finally, future prospects for the application of ZnPP are discussed in order to provide new ways for the development of the low-nitrate meat processing industry.

Key words: meat products; nitrite; zinc protoporphyrin; chromogenic