Bibliometric Analysis of Research Progress and Trends in Sheep Meat Quality Evaluation
XU Muxuan, SHANG Mengyu, LIU Chongxin, GU Minghui, YANG Qi, LI Shaobo, CHEN Li, ZHANG Dequan
Key Laboratory of Agro-products Quality & Safety Harvest, Storage, Transportation, Management and Control, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Institute of Food Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing 100193, China
Abstract：Based on relevant literature, this study aims to analyze the current status of research on sheep meat quality evaluation and identify research hotspots and development trends in this field. A bibliometric analysis using CiteSpace was conducted on the literature pertaining to sheep meat quality evaluation exported from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure and Web of Science core collection for the years 2004 to 2023 inclusive. A total of 506 Chinese-language papers and 1 609 English-language papers were selected, with a general upward trend in publication volume. Research institutions and scholars abroad started earlier and maintained close collaboration, whereas domestic research institutions and scholars started relatively later and were more independent. However, both domestic and international research institutions and scholars can be classified into two main categories: those leveraging the geographical advantages of major muttonproducing regions to conduct research on specialty breeds, and those utilizing disciplinary strengths to drive technological innovation and interdisciplinary integration for breakthroughs in generic technologies. Current research focuses on three main aspects: factors affecting sheep meat quality, quality evaluation of specific breeds, and sheep meat quality evaluation techniques. Yet, there are differences in research methods, as domestic research emphasizes quality evaluation based on physicochemical indicators, while international research combines sensory science with physicochemical indicators. Sheat meat quality evaluation techniques have consistently been a research hotspot in the field of meat science. Both domestic and international studies focus on the aforementioned three aspects, and have either established or are in the process of establishing technical systems for sheep meat quality evaluation. In the future, efforts should be made to optimize sheep meat quality evaluation models based on data-driven methods, make full use of rapid and non-destructive detection technologies driven by multimodal fusion to simultaneously develop quality detection equipment and strengthen further interdisciplinary collaboration and integration. Furthermore, domestic research should improve sheep meat quality evaluation indicators and technical systems based on traditional Chinese cooking methods and establish sheep meat quality evaluation standards that align with Chinese consumer habits.
2026, Vol. 40 
