Traditional dried meat products are mainly produced by natural air drying, with a long history and unique flavor, which are favored by consumers. However, there are potential quality problems and safety hazards in traditional dried meat products, such as poor product stability and easy deterioration. As science and technology develop, meat drying technology is constantly improving, and so is product quality. This paper summarizes recent research on the influence of existing drying methods on the eating and sensory qualities of dried meat products such as flavor, color, texture and pH, and gives an outlook on future trends in the development of drying methods for meat products and on noteworthy research areas. This review hopes to provide a reference for improving the drying quality and processing efficiency of dried meat products and for promoting the development of the traditional meat products industry.

The effect of addition of different levels of lotus leaf powder on the flavor of dried minced pork slices (DMPS) was studied by examining its sensory flavor attributes, flavor substances, lipid and protein oxidation levels, Maillard reaction degree, and microstructure. The results showed that addition of lotus leaf powder significantly affected the flavor of DMPS. Addition of lotus leaf powder at 0.2% and 0.4% improved the flavor of DMPS by inhibiting the oxidation of lipids and proteins and consequently reducing the contents of the fat rancidity flavor compounds hexanal and nonanal, and the fishy odor compound trimethylamine. The generation of phenethyl alcohol, (E)-2-hexenal, and methyl acetate provided DMPS with a delicate fragrance of lotus. However, adding 0.6% or 0.8% lotus leaf powder significantly decreased the contents of sweet amino acids and the umami taste intensity of DMPS, and exacerbated lipid and protein oxidation by disrupting the microstructure of DMPS. Furthermore, lotus leaf powder suppressed the production of volatile heterocyclic compounds in DMPS by inhibiting the Maillard reaction. Therefore, addition of an appropriate amount of lotus leaf powder could effectively improve the flavor of DMPS.

The effects of yam polysaccharide addition (0.0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0% and 2.5%) on the flavor of sugarreduced dried minced pork slice (SDMS) were investigated, and the flavor compounds, lipid and protein oxidation, Maillard reaction and sensory quality of SDMS were also analyzed. The results showed that the addition of 0.5% yam polysaccharides could significantly increase the proportions of heterocyclic compounds and ketones in the total volatile compounds by promoting the production of free amino acids, Maillard reaction and Strecker degradation in SDMS, and inhibit the formation of trimethylamine, contributing to fishy odor, thus significantly improving the flavor of SDMS (P < 0.05). However, excessive addition of yam polysaccharides (1.5%–2.5%) could reduce the formation of volatile flavor compounds in SDMS, resulting in a decrease in aroma compound contents and sensory scores. Therefore, appropriate addition of yam polysaccharides can effectively enhance the flavor of SDMS.

The effects of mulberry polysaccharide, chitosan, and straw mushroom polysaccharide on the formation of free and bound heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs), physicochemical and textural quality attributes in dried minced pork slices (DMS) were investigated. The results showed that 9 free HAAs and 6 bound HAAs were detected in DMS. Addition of mulberry polysaccharide or chitosan could significantly inhibit the formation of 5 free HAAs, 9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole (Norharman), 1-methyl-9H-pyrido[3,4-b]indole (Harman), 3-amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole (Trp-P-1), 2-amino-3,4-dimethyl-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoline (MeIQ) and 2-amino-3,8-dimethyl-imidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline (MeIQx); and 5 bound HAAs, Norharman, Harman, Trp-P-1, MeIQx and 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo[4,5-b]pyridine (P<0.05), mulberry polysaccharide being more effective. Inhibition of protein oxidation could be the most important pathway for polysaccharides to reduce HAAs in DMS, followed by lipid oxidation and Maillard reaction. Mulberry polysaccharide and chitosan could inhibit protein oxidation, lipid oxidation and Maillard reaction and scavenge 2,2’-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) cation radical, thus inhibiting the generation of free and bound HAAs during thermal processing of DMS. Neither the color nor texture of DMS was significantly affected by mulberry polysaccharide. These findings implied that mulberry polysaccharide has the potential to improve the quality and safety of DMS, which will promote the high-quality development of the traditional meat industry.

In this research, the color stability of dried pork meat slices (DPMS) containing 0.2% (m/m) bamboo leaf extract (BLE) and 0.5% (m/m) L-cysteine (Cys) was evaluated in the scope of air-drying temperature variation 55–75 °C. The results showed that the combined addition of BLE and Cys could reduce the range values of each color parameter of DPMS in the scopes (± 5 and ± 10 °C) of drying temperature variation 55–75 °C, such as the range value of lightness (L*) from 2.81 to 1.10, redness (a*) from 2.45 to 1.62, and yellowness (b*) from 5.80 to 1.11 in the scope (65 ± 5) °C, especially the total color difference (ΔE) of less than 2 in 60–70 °C was below the limits discernible to the human eye. The two combined additives could significantly reduce the loss of monascus red pigment, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs), carbonyl contents and the loss of sulfhydryl group in DPMS system during drying process (P < 0.05), inhibited the production of Maillard coloring substances (P < 0.05), and stabilized the relative content of myoglobin (deoxymyoglobin (DeoMb), oxymyoglobin (OMb) and methemoglobin (MetMb)) (P < 0.05). These results indicated that the combination of BLE and Cys could effectively improve the color stability of DPMS in the scope of drying temperature 60–70 °C, which displayed a great potential to enhance the color stability of the Chinese traditional meat products in large-scale production.