Abstract A low-cost, convenient and organic solvent-free approach was investigated to nanoencapsulate curcumin (CCM) in myofibrillar proteins (MPs) as a potential strategy to improve the oxidative stability of marinated meat products. The encapsulation was enabled by shifting CCM–MP mixture to pH 12 and then pH 7 at different ionic strengths. Stable CCM–MP nanocomplexes were formed at 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9 mol/L NaCl, resulting from the exposure of hydrophobic residues of MPs at alkaline pH to bind w...