Recent advances in the study of modified cellulose in meat products: Modification method of cellulose, meat quality improvement and safety concern

Consumers are increasingly demanding high-quality meat products with the development of the economy. The development of clean label and the improvement of the nutritional composition of meat products have been attracting the attention of consumers and industries. Modified cellulose (MC) is a versatile food additive that has shown the potential to provide solutions to the above needs. This review briefly elucidated the modification methods that were applied to produce MC. Then the applications and effects of MC on the meat products were introduced, and the safety characteristics of MC were also discussed. Finally, the findings of current studies and the outlooks on the applications of MC in meat products were summarized. The physical, chemical, biological, and combined methods were applied in the production of MC. Applying MC-based products for the preservation of meat products and adding MC into meat products are two main applications of MC. The MC-based products such as film, pad, and coating could be applied to control the growth of microorganisms, extend the shelf life and keep the original quality during the storage of meat products. A real-time message of meat products’ freshness was obtained after applying MC-based indicator films. Detecting and adsorbing harmful substances in meat products also is the application of MC-based products. However, other functional substances instead of MC mainly play functional roles in MC-based products. The qualities are enhanced and the saturated fat content is reduced in meat products after adding MC or MC emulsified vegetable oil. MCs are generally regarded as safe except for nanocelluloses and show similar nutritional effects with dietary fibers. In addition to focusing on the controlled release of functional ingredients in the MC-based products, the molecular forces between MC and meat proteins, and the flavor characteristics and digestive nutritional profiles of reformulated meat products should be also systematically studied in future work.