Abstract: Red meat cut up or stored in anaerobic packaging needs to be bloomed before being displayed, which makes the meat turn from dark purple to attractive, bright red. This is important for stimulating consumer purchase intention. However, there have been few systematic reviews of the mechanism and application of meat blooming. This article summarizes the state-of-the-art progress in understanding the formation and stability of meat color, and reviews the blooming properties and evaluation methods of fresh meat from different parts of different animal species. It also elucidates the internal (e.g., mitochondrial function, ultimate pH, and protein modification) and external (e.g., temperature, aging method, and pre-blooming treatment) factors impacting the blooming of red meat, as well as the related regulatory mechanisms. It is hoped that this review will provide a theoretical basis and technical guidance for the targeted improvement of blooming efficiency in different types of red meat in practice.

Key words: meat color; blooming mechanism; mitochondrial function; regulatory factors