A Comprehensive Review of Technological Advances in Meat Safety, Quality, and Sustainability for Public Health

Abstract

The demand for food is increasing with the rise in the human population. Among foods, meat is an essential part of human nutrition. Meat provides good-quality protein and all the micronutrients needed by humans. In addition, it also contains some bioactive compounds that are good for human health. Increasing demand, together with concerns over food safety, requires new approaches to guarantee a sustainable, safe, and healthy meat supply chain. The only way to get over these challenges is through technological innovations that are capable of enhancing the safety, quality, and sustainability of meat. Herein, this review identifies the need for new methods of rapid microbial detection, biosensors, AI-based monitoring, innovative processing and preservation techniques, precision livestock farming, resource-efficient feed and water management, alternative protein sources, and circular economy approaches. In particular, this review examines some meat analogs like cultured meat, hybrid products, and microbial proteins as environmentally friendly and nutritionally balanced alternatives. These changes in technology can also bring benefits to consumers in terms of their health. The health benefits of these technological innovations for consumers go beyond just safety, including improved nutritional profiles, functional bioactive ingredients, and the prevention of antimicrobial resistance. The review further analyzes policies, regulatory frameworks, and ethical considerations necessary to achieve consumer trust and social acceptance, including the global alignment of standards, certification, labeling, and all issues related to ethics. Furthermore, AI, IoT, Big Data, and nutritional technologies represent new emerging trends able to unleash new opportunities for the optimization of production, quality control, and personalized nutrition.