Bioactive Compounds in Meat and their Functions

Abstract

Meat and meat products are promising food sources for both nutrition and bioactive compounds. This chapter reviews the active components that can promote health and/or complement the effect of nutrients from meat such as bioactive peptides, L-carnitine, coenzyme Q10, carnosine, taurine, creatine, glutathione, lipoic acid, conjugated linoleic acid, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and opioids. Bioactive peptides are derived from meat by either hydrolysis or fermentation. Intensive studies have evaluated the beneficial effects of meat bioactive compounds. Many meat bioactive compounds exhibit antihypertensive effects as well as protective effects on cardiovascular disease. Their antioxidant capability to inhibit oxidative processes in the human body is very important since oxidative stress can cause progression of renal complications in diabetes and is also associated with various neurodegenerative illnesses such as cataracts, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Some bioactive compounds from meat are indispensable to cellular energy production and help/improve body functions. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved.