Buffalo meat quality, processing, and marketing: harnessing its benefits and nutraceutical potential

Abstract

Buffalo meat production is growing in different countries also because buffalo products exhibit some positive characteristics for human health compared to red meats from other species. However, meat quality is also defined by organoleptic aspects. This review aims to highlight the distinctive characteristics of buffalo meat. The principal problems of buffalo meat production are related to the low yield and an abundant layer of  subcutaneous fat deposition when the animal is older than 14 months. This last trait, which may seem negative, allows us to carry out prolonged aging time (PAT) without compromising the shelf life and improving meat tenderness, one of the organoleptic characteristic’s consumers desires. Another organoleptic characteristic that guides consumer choice is color. This trait depends mainly on the amount and state of myoglobin, a species- specific sarcoplasmic heme protein, and buffalo presents a different molecule than beef. Furthermore, this bright red molecule in the oxidized state transforms into metmyoglobin or deoxy myoglobin in the absence of oxygen, giving a dark color to the meat, which consumers associate with poor quality from old animals. The presence or absence of oxygen shows advantages and disadvantages by acting on the one hand, on the bright meat color and, on the other, on the oxidation of lipids. The best compromise between the two situations is given by skin packaging, which preserves the meat in an anaerobic environment. Keeping the high nutritional quality over time is imperative to maintain the numerous nutritional properties of buffalo meat. In this regard, buffalo meat presents numerous distinctive characteristics among the different groups of fatty acids. Among the saturated one, the abundance of odd and branched fatty acids compared to the bovine breed should be highlighted; for the unsaturated ones, this meat is characterized by the abundance of biohydrogenation products by rumen bacteria such as trans vaccenic and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), best known for its anti- carcinogenic properties. In comparison, the endogenous pathway of fatty acid formation through the liver or adipose tissue allows us to enhance the elongation capacity of polyunsaturated n3 fatty acids, vital for human health as precursors of anti-inflammatory prostaglandins. Finally, buffalo meat is an essential source of N- acetylneuraminic sialic acid (Neu5Ac), a nine-carbon molecule located in the terminal ends of glyco-proteins and glycolipids, an essential nutrient for brain development and function. This molecule can also counteract the intestinal absorption of N-glycolyl sialic acid (Neu5Gc) exogenous for humans, abundant in red meat, with high inflammatory action. In addition to being marketed as fresh meat, Buffalo meat can also be transformed into semi-processed or cured products with peculiar characteristics. Lean products could be well integrated into the modern diet, with clear advantages to consumers and breeders. The nutritional and technological potential of buffalo meat is considerable, and it is necessary to communicate this to the consumer, creating an efficient and dynamic market for buffalo meat-based products.