Juiciness of Meat, Meat Products, and Meat Analogues: Definition, Evaluation Methods, and Influencing Factors

It has long been in the interest of researchers and industries to develop tactics to improve the eating quality of meat and meat products. Juiciness as an important sensory attribute is often evaluated to dictate the potential means for quality improvement. Apart from its vital importance to both consumers and industry owners, the evaluation of meat juiciness is still a complicated phenomenon. In this review, a theory for the juiciness perception mechanism based on former literature is presented, along with a discussion on the reliability of its subjective and objective evaluation methods. According to the overviewed literature, factors that influence the juiciness of meat and meat products include species, breed type, animal age, muscle cut, preslaughter handling, ageing of meat, cooking method, salt incorporation, as well as preservation techniques. This review also summarizes the current knowledge related to the juiciness analysis of meat analogues. Future endeavours should focus on validating the theory of the juiciness perception mechanism as this would enable precise juiciness improvement in meat, meat products, and meat analogues. In addition, it is recommended to apply time-intensity sensory profiling for any juiciness evaluations for a better alignment between interventions and effects.