Lycopene as a Natural Food Additive for Improving Meat Products Quality

Abstract

Meat products contain protein, which is important for growth needed by human body, in addition to contain some minerals and vitamins as iodine, iron, zinc, and B₁₂. This high nutritional value of meat products makes them vulnerable to spoilage and difficult to be preserved. Natural preservatives have emerged as alternatives to chemical preservatives. Natural additives have shown potential to provide effective antimicrobial and antioxidant activity while reducing negative health impacts. Incorporating lycopene into meat products has gained much interest among food scientists and in the meat industry. Some past articles concerning the lycopene addition effect on the quality of meat products have been published. Based on the above, the purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the applications of lycopene as a natural colorant and antibacterial in meat products, and to provide a comprehensive summary of the effectiveness and progress of lycopene in the preservation of meat products over the last decade. The information in this review provides ideas for future applications of lycopene in meat preservation as a natural antioxidant, which has great potential to replace traditional artificial preservatives.