<span class="word">Spoilage <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">Biomarkers <span class="word">in <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">Poultry <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">Meat: <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">A <span class="word">25 <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">Years <span class="word"><span class="changedDisabled">Overview

Meat spoilage remains one of the major challenges affecting food quality, shelf life, and economic sustainability worldwide. Over the last 25 years, significant advances have been made in understanding the biochemical, microbiological, and environmental mechanisms responsible for spoilage in fresh and processed meat products. Spoilage is primarily driven by microbial proliferation, particularly psychrotrophic and mesophilic bacteria such as Pseudomonas spp., Brochothrix thermosphacta, lactic acid bacteria, and members of Enterobacteriaceae, whose dominance depends strongly on storage temperature, oxygen availability, pH, and packaging conditions. These microorganisms promote proteolysis, lipolysis, and the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), biogenic amines (BAs), sulphur-containing metabolites, and other compounds associated with undesirable odour, discoloration, slime formation, and texture deterioration. Attempting to identify biomarkers that allow for the early detection of these compounds may be essential to help prevent their deterioration and subsequent disposal. Parallel progress in preservation technologies has shifted from conventional refrigeration, vacuum packaging, and modified atmosphere packaging toward innovative strategies such as biopreservation, antimicrobial coatings, essential oils, and high-pressure processing, aiming to extend shelf life while maintaining sensory quality. In addition, intelligent packaging systems and non-destructive monitoring tools based on biosensors, spectroscopy, and nanomaterials have emerged as promising approaches for real-time spoilage detection. Despite these advances, spoilage remains highly variable across meat types, processing environments, and supply chains, emphasizing the need for integrated control strategies. Future research should focus on predictive microbiology, sustainable preservation systems, and microbiome-guided interventions to reduce meat losses and improve food safety across global markets.