Abstract: Myofibrillar protein (MP) is an important protein in muscle, which can form a three-dimensional gel network structure upon heat treatment, ultimately influencing the quality of meat products. In the meat industry, hydrocolloids from different are incorporated to enhance the gel strength, water-holding capacity and functional properties of MP gel and finally optimize the quality of meat products. However, many factors affect the interaction between MP and hydrocolloids during the formation of heat-induced MP gelation, which in turn affects MP gel properties. In this article, the gelation mechanism of MP is systematically reviewed, the interaction mechanism between different hydrocolloids and MP is discussed, and the key factors influencing the regulatory effect of hydrocolloids on the formation of heat-induced MP gel and the effect of hydrocolloids on MP gel properties are summarized. We anticipate that this review will lay a theoretical foundation for establishing the key technical system based on hydrocolloids to regulate the quality of meat products and also provide technical guidance for future practical application.

Key words: hydrocolloid, myofibrillar protein, heat-induced gel, regulatory effects, intermolecular interaction