The effect and action mechanism of tea polyphenols (TP) on the tenderness of yak meat were investigated. With the treatment of TP at the low concentrations, the myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) value of yak meat was increased and its microstructure was obviously changed. By using fluorescence spectroscopy and the determination of surface hydrophobicity, the tertiary structure of myofibrillar protein (MP) showed the obvious changes with the treatment of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). In addition, the secondary structure of MP was also obviously changed according to the measurement of circular dichroism (CD) spectrum, while the α‐helix structure of MP decreased and the β‐sheet increased. Furthermore, according to the analysis of molecular docking, EGCG could interact tightly with myofibril protein by hydrogen bonds, and changed its spatial configuration and molecular force. All results suggested that TPs showed the potentially value to improve the tenderness of yak meat in food industry. Practical applications Yak meat is more and more popular by its high nutrition value. But due to its special myofibril protein, the tenderness of yak meat is unfavorably and affects its sensory properties, which may limit its processing and consumption in food industry. In present study, TPs was used to improve the tenderness of yak meat by changing the spatial configuration and molecular force of myofibril protein, which suggested that TPs showed the potential value to enhance the quality of yak meat during its processing in food industry.

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The lotus (Nelumbo nucifera Gaertn.), also named as Chinese water lily, has a long history to be used as a food, which is extensively cultivated in China, India, Thailand, and Malaysia. Except showing some health-promoting activities, lotus have been employed as the traditional herbs in folk medicine for the treatment of hematemesis, eczema, and stomach troubles, which may be attributed to its high content of phenolic compounds (Limwachiranon et al., 2018;Velusami et al., 2013). Recently, it has been reported that phenolic compounds are not only beneficial for human health, but also exhibit some positive impacts to enhance the quality and safety of food products during food processing and storage. In addition, some relative studies indicate that phenolic compounds from lotus are safe to be applied as additives in the food industry (Deng et al., 2013;Quan et al., 2019).Yogurt, one of the most popular dairy products in the world, is made by fermenting milk with lactic acid bacteria. It is of great benefit to human health due to its rich content of protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, minerals, and probiotics (Desobry-Banon et al., 1999;Lourens-Hattingh & Viljoen, 2001). Commonly, there are two types of yogurt, namely, set and stirred yogurt, which are different in their production process. It has been reported that stirred yogurt is more popular, which may be attributed to its diversified tastes and high nutrition value. However, some problems, such as layering and whey separating, may cause the deterioration of quality and safety of stirred yogurt during its storage and sale.Although the applications of synthetic agents, such as acetylated

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The cover image is based on the Original Article Effect of lotus (Nelumbonucifera) petals extract on the quality of yogurt and its action mechanism by Lin Chen et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/jfpp.15396.