Impact of Humectants on Physicochemical and Functional Properties of Jerky – A Meta-Analysis

18 This study aimed to determine the effects of humectants on moisture content, water 19 activity, tenderness, color, microbiological analysis, protein denaturation, and oxidation of 20 jerky. A thorough search for papers published in scientific journals that examined the impacts 21 of humectants on jerky was carried out using Web of Science, Google Scholar, PubMed, and 22 Science Direct. Only 14 studies matched inclusion requirements. They were used in the meta-23 analysis to synthesise quantitative findings. In the current investigation, jerky produced with 24 beef, poultry, goat, or pork was used. The standardised mean difference (SMD) between 25 treatments with humectants and controls was examined to investigate the effects of 26 humectants using random-effects models. Heterogeneity was investigated using meta-27 regression. A subgroup analysis was carried out for significant factors. Results revealed that 28 the addition of humectants had no significant impact on water activity, pH, fat, ash, lightness, 29 or redness (p > 0.05). However, humectant addition significantly increased moisture (SMD = 30 1.28, p < 0.05), yellowness (SMD = 1.67, p < 0.0 5 ), and overall acceptability (SMD = 1.73, p 31 < 0.05). It significantly decreased metmyoglobin (SMD = -0.96, p < 0.05), shear force (SMD 32 = -0.84, p < 0.05), and protein (SMD = -1.61, p < 0.05). However, it was difficult to get a 33 firm conclusion about how humectants affected the myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI), 34 total plate count (TPC), and 2-thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) because there 35 were fewer than ten studies. To sum up, the proper use of humectants in jerky demands