Meat and Muscle Biology™ Recent Updates in Meat Color Research: Integrating Traditional and High-Throughput Approaches Ranjith Ramanathan 1 *, Melvin C. Hunt 2 , Richard A. Mancini 3 , Mahesh N. Nair 4 , Morgan L. Denzer 1 , Surendranath P. Suman 5 , and Gretchen G. Mafi 1 1 Department of Animal and Food Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, USA 2 Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA 3 Department of Animal Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut 06269, USA 4 Department of Animal Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, USA 5 Department of Animal and Food Sciences, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40546, USA *Corresponding author. Email: ranjith.ramanathan@okstate.edu (Ranjith Ramanathan) Abstract: Deviation from a bright cherry-red color of fresh meat results in less consumer acceptance and either discounted or discarded products in the value chain. Tissue homeostasis changes immediately after exsanguination, leading to acidi- fication of muscle. Any alteration in pH drop can influence both muscle structure and enzymatic activity related to oxygen consumption and the redox state of myoglobin. This review focuses on both fundamental and applied approaches to under- stand the effects of pH on biochemical changes, oxygen diffusion, and its impact on meat color. Recent updates utilizing high-throughput “omics” approaches to elucidate the biochemical changes associated with high-pH meat are also dis- cussed. The fundamental aspects affecting fresh meat color are complex and highly interrelated with factors ranging from live animal production to preharvest environmental issues, muscle to meat conversion, and numerous facets along the merchandising chain of marketing meat to consumers. Key words: myoglobin, meat quality, high-pH meat, proteomics, meat color, meat wastage Meat and Muscle Biology 4(2): 7, 1–24 (2020) doi:10.22175/mmb.9598 Submitted 28 January 2020 Accepted 16 April 2020 This paper was accepted as a contribution to the 2020 International Congress of Meat Science and Technology and the AMSA Reciprocal Meat Conference. Introduction In the last 15 years, several published meat science reviews have focused on different aspects of meat color research (Table 1). Although the objectives of these reports ranged from fundamental to applied, during the last 3 decades a bright cherry-red meat color remains a top sensory characteristic for consumers making meat purchasing decisions (Carpenter et al., 2001; Prill et al., 2019). Significant product develop- ment efforts also have occurred using plant-based pig- ments to mimic a bright-red color in raw meat analogs (Reiley, 2019), further reiterating the importance of traditionally acquired sensory perception related to the quality of meat. Although a bright-red color of meat is not a solid predictor of microbiological safety, failure to meet consumer expectations for safe and wholesome meat can lead to economic losses and generation of organic waste. Meat is nutrient dense and highly per- ishable. Hence, the meat industry is utilizing various packaging and processing strategies to extend the shelf life and colorlife of fresh meat during grading, fabrica- tion, value addition, and retail sales. Even though the fundamental factors that cause discoloration have not changed in the past several decades, modifications in management/feeding practi- ces have improved carcass quality. Grass-finished cattle contribute only 3% of the total beef produced © 2020 Ramanathan, et al. www.meatandmusclebiology.com This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)