Sun Qing, Yuan Yanan, Xu Baoguo, Gao Shipeng, Zhai Xiaodong, Xu Feiyue, Shi Jiyong
School of Food and Biological Engineering, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang 212013, China.
Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Intelligent Food Manufacturing, Foshan University, Foshan 528225, China.
Foods. 2025 Jun 24;14(13):2230. doi: 10.3390/foods14132230.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution and artificial intelligence (AI) technology are driving the transformation of the meat industry from mechanization and automation to intelligence and digitization. This paper provides a systematic review of key technological innovations in this field, including physical technologies (such as smart cutting precision improved to the millimeter level, pulse electric field sterilization efficiency exceeding 90%, ultrasonic-assisted marinating time reduced by 12 h, and ultra-high-pressure processing extending shelf life) and digital technologies (IoT real-time monitoring, blockchain-enhanced traceability transparency, and AI-optimized production decision-making). Additionally, it explores the potential of alternative meat production technologies (cell-cultured meat and 3D bioprinting) to disrupt traditional models. In application scenarios such as central kitchen efficiency improvements (e.g., food companies leveraging the "S2B2C" model to apply AI agents, supply chain management, and intelligent control systems, resulting in a 26.98% increase in overall profits), end-to-end temperature control in cold chain logistics (e.g., using multi-array sensors for real-time monitoring of meat spoilage), intelligent freshness recognition of products (based on deep learning or sensors), and personalized customization (e.g., 3D-printed customized nutritional meat products), these technologies have significantly improved production efficiency, product quality, and safety. However, large-scale application still faces key challenges, including high costs (such as the high investment in cell-cultured meat bioreactors), lack of standardization (such as the absence of unified standards for non-thermal technology parameters), and consumer acceptance (surveys indicate that approximately 41% of consumers are concerned about contracting illnesses from consuming cultured meat, and only 25% are willing to try it). These challenges constrain the economic viability and market promotion of the aforementioned technologies. Future efforts should focus on collaborative innovation to establish a truly intelligent and sustainable meat production system.
第四次工业革命和人工智能（AI）技术正在推动肉类行业从机械化和自动化向智能化和数字化转变。本文对该领域的关键技术创新进行了系统综述，包括物理技术（如智能切割精度提高到毫米级、脉冲电场杀菌效率超过90%、超声辅助腌制时间缩短12小时、超高压处理延长保质期）和数字技术（物联网实时监测、区块链增强可追溯透明度以及人工智能优化生产决策）。此外，还探讨了替代肉类生产技术（细胞培养肉和3D生物打印）颠覆传统模式的潜力。在诸如提高中央厨房效率（例如食品公司利用“S2B2C”模式应用人工智能代理、供应链管理和智能控制系统，使总利润增长26.98%）、冷链物流中的端到端温度控制（例如使用多阵列传感器实时监测肉类变质情况）、产品智能新鲜度识别（基于深度学习或传感器）以及个性化定制（例如3D打印定制营养肉类产品）等应用场景中，这些技术显著提高了生产效率、产品质量和安全性。然而，大规模应用仍面临关键挑战，包括成本高昂（如细胞培养肉生物反应器投资巨大）、缺乏标准化（如非热技术参数没有统一标准）以及消费者接受度（调查表明约41%的消费者担心食用培养肉会患病，只有25%愿意尝试）。这些挑战限制了上述技术的经济可行性和市场推广。未来应致力于协同创新，以建立一个真正智能且可持续的肉类生产系统。
