Abstract: Known as one of the cold sterilization methods,irradiation has been widely used in food preservation,quality and safety control,as well as quality improvement. Irradiation can change the conformation of muscle protein,leading to protein denaturation,aggregation or gelation. This advantage could be an effective method to improve the gel properties of muscle. In this article,the role of chemical force and protein conformation in maintaining stable muscle gel network was mainly reviewed,and the effect of irradiation on the conformation and gel properties of protein was clarified at the molecular level.The purpose is to provide a theoretical foundation for using irradiation to improve the quality of gel properties of muscle protein.