Abstract：Excessive oxidation of meat products seriously and negatively affects their quality, causing huge economic losses to meat companies. As a natural antioxidant, tannin has the advantages of rich sources, renewability, low price, and being safe for humans to eat, and its antioxidant effect can be comparable to that of synthetic antioxidants. Tannin has an antioxidant effect in living organisms, and the underlying mechanism is a complex process with the involvement of multiple pathways and targets. During meat processing and storage, tannin can exert an antioxidant effect by removing free radicals, chelating metal ions, and so forth. Therefore, tannin can not only be added to animal diets to retard the oxidation of meat after slaughter, but also can be used directly by adding it to meat or meat packaging materials. This article reviews the antioxidant mechanism of tannin in animals and in meat products during processing and storage as well as the methods used to evaluate its antioxidant effect, and it also summarizes the current status of the application of tannin as an antioxidant in meat products, hoping to provide scientific reference for the widespread application of tannin as an antioxidant.
2020, Vol. 34 
