The purpose of this text is to address advances in muscle food research with emphasis on the physiochemical and biochemical characteristics of the major muscle food components, including proteins, enzymes, lipids, pigments, and flavour compounds. It contains a comprehensive discussion, by a group of the world's leading researchers, of the quality attributes of muscle foods (red meats, poultry, and aquatic species), particularly the product texture, functionality, colour, and flavour, as related to their production, processing, and storage.