Abstract:Intramuscular connective tissue as an important part of muscle affects the sensory quality of meat together with muscle fiber.The relationship between connective tissue and sensory quality indexes such as tenderness，juiciness，and flavor of meat was studied.The influencing factors of the thermal characteristics such as denaturation，contraction，and dissolution of collagen as the main component of the connective tissue during heating were summarized.The relationship of the thermal characteristics with the proteoglycan degradation of connective tissue and the endogenous enzyme degradation system of raw meat were analyzed.The possible mechanism of connective tissue affecting meat quality was discussed.The review aimed to point out the research direction for changing the thermal characteristics of connective tissue and improving the sensory quality of meat.