Migration of phenolic compounds in meat during marinating process: Action rule, mass transfer and mechanism

Migration of phenolics in meat is an important procedure for their valuable applications in meat production, which affects their modification effects on meat quality and safety. So, in present study, the migration process and regulations of phenolics in marinaded meat were investigated, and the mechanism was further explored. 50% KCl mass substitution and 30 g/L chloride were determined as optimal conditions for the marinating of phenolics (gallic acid, chlorogenic acid, epigallocatechin gallate and tannic acid) in meat. Migration of chloride and phenolics in marinating process were fitted well with exponential time-variant function. With different concentrations (6–10 μmol/mL), migration of phenolics in meat was mainly promoted by their concentration gradient. With the same concentration, order of diffusivity coefficient value for phenolics in meat was: epigallocatechin gallate > gallic acid > chlorogenic acid > tannic acid, which was attributed to their different capability to change the microstructure and water distribution of meat by interacting with myofibrillar protein. All results suggested that the migration of phenolics in meat depended on their marinating concentration, molecule size, structure characteristic and reactivity, which provided some beneficial information for the potential applications of phenolics in food industries to ameliorate meat quality and safety.