Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica), the smallest farmed avian species, has become a popular meat source among consumers. From the producers’ point of view, commercial quail farming is a profitable avenue and the volume is increasing significantly. Producing value added quail meat is an important way to improve marketing opportunities. The purpose of this paper is to review slaughter, carcass characteristics, meat quality and meat composition of Japanese quail. The status of Japanese quail meat consumption, along with marketing strategies, such as the development of new products and processing methods is discussed, and in addition, the paper covers adding value to spent Japanese quail meat by means of tenderisation with natural agents.
