## 5 Conclusions and Future Trends  
Beetroot is an exceptional source of biologically active compounds of great nutritional, health, and technological value. These compounds include betalains, phenolic compounds (flavonoids and phenolic acids), and inorganic nitrate, which are of special interest for the meat industry due to their functional and technological properties, such as colorants, antioxidants, and preservatives. Despite this, the number of studies carried out on the reformulation of processed meat products using beetroot is very limited, and the results obtained vary in their effectiveness. This is mainly due to the low number of studies, together with the different strategies of beetroot inclusion in meat products [i.e., direct addition as powder or juice, addition as an extract (fermented or unfermented), or addition of the purified pigments], which affect its effectiveness against degradation reactions and influence both technological and sensory characteristics. Even so, in general, the results obtained by the available research studies show a strong antioxidant and coloring activity, which limits lipid oxidation processes and discoloration during storage, and therefore increases the shelf-life and overall acceptability by the consumer. Moreover, the phytochemical profile of beetroot presents positive effects on human health, which would also allow the development of functional and innovative foods.  
Main points to consider, and those that should be investigated in greater depth would include the following:  
_Use of beetroot extracts_--The use of extracts instead of the direct application of dehydrated beetroot or beetroot juice has several advantages, including the concentration of bioactive compounds. Therefore, a greater coloring and antioxidant power is expected when beetroot extracts are used as opposed to the direct addition of beetroot ingredients. Additionally, the major drawback that limits the direct application of beetroot in meat products is the presence of geosmin, which imparts an undesirable earthy flavor, which could be solved by using extracts instead of direct addition of beetroot ingredients.  
_Extraction conditions during ingredient isolation_--The extraction conditions of the bioactive compounds from the beetroot must be optimized according to the meat (of food) product application. It must be taken into account that the bioactive compounds of the raw material (beetroot) can vary depending on multiple factors during the isolation of the ingredient. Furthermore, the processing conditions of beetroot can also degrade multiple compounds, so the quantity and properties of these compounds must be carefully evaluated.  
_Meat product applications_--Finally, the effects of the addition of beetroot (or beetroot extracts) in the reformulation of meat products should be extensively studied. This would allow for partial or full replacement of synthetic additives for multiple meat products.  
Conceptualization, R.D. and J.M.L.; writing--original draft preparation, R.D.; writing--review and editing, R.D., P.E.S.M., M.P., A.M., B.B. and J.M.L. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.  
This research received no external funding.  
Thanks to GAIN (Axencia Galega de Innovacion) for supporting this study (grant number IN607A2019/01). [PERSON] acknowledges postdoctoral fellowship support from the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO, Spain) \"[PERSON]\" program (FJCI-2016-29486). Authors ([PERSON], [PERSON], M.P. & J.M.L.) are members of the HealthyMeat network, funded by CYTED (ref. 119 RT0568).  
**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.