Insights into meat marination technology: an overview of current advances

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

: The culinary technique of marination emerged hundreds of years ago as an alternative for food preservation; however, it became firmly established mainly after it began to play a role that extends beyond preservation. Accordingly, this study aimed to elucidate key aspects of marination applied to conventional meat matrices (beef, pork, chicken, and fish), and the effects arising from matrix–marinade interactions were reviewed and discussed. A high recurrence of salt was observed as a central ingredient in marination liquids, particularly in brine-type systems, where it was frequently combined with acidic components, lipid bases, and seasonings. Refrigerated marination at approximately 4 °C for 24 h was the predominant condition across all matrices, whereas shorter times were used for rapid sensory adjustments and longer periods for structural remodeling and biopreservation. Regarding packaging, plastic materials predominated, often combined with vacuum systems to ensure oxygen exclusion. Despite technological advances, post-process marinades may become an environmental liability, requiring appropriate disposal and treatment strategies in future studies. Food industries and agro-industrial sectors may apply these methods to a wide range of food products beyond conventional meat matrices.