Abstract: Inosinic acid is the flavor-producing substances of animal muscle. This paper reviewed the recent advances on inosinic acid, the flavor mechanism of inosinic aicd, as well as its metabolic pathway and influencing factors. The problem in current research work of inosinic acid and research direction in the future were proposed in this paper in order to provide references for further researches on animal flavor quality.

Key words: inosinic acid; flavor mechanism; metabolic pathway; research prospect