Abstract: To improve the tenderness, flavor, and juiciness of meat after slaughter, muscle needs to be aged under specific conditions for a certain period during its conversion to meat. This process involves a series of complex physiological changes, in which protein degradation plays a crucial role in shaping meat quality as one of the key biochemical reactions. By focusing on endogenous pathways including proteolysis, protein oxidation, apoptosis, autophagy, ferroptosis, and necrosis, as well as exogenous microbial hydrolysis, this review systematically elaborates on protein degradation pathways mediated by different aging methods (dry aging, wet aging, and combined dry-wet aging), and summarizes the effects and regulatory mechanisms of various protein degradation pathways and products on meat quality during aging. Furthermore, to reveal the key role of proteolysis in the quality formation of meat during postmortem aging, this review constructs a theoretical system for multi-dimensional regulatory networks of protein degradation based on the upstream signaling axes of programmed cell death pathways and the crosstalk among these pathways, providing theoretical support for optimizing the meat aging process and improving the palatability of meat.

Key words: protein degradation; eating quality; aging methods; endogenous enzymes; extracellular proteases