Fish preservation: a multi-dimensional approach

Abstract

Fish is one of the most nutritionally valuable and highly perishable food stuffs. The delicacy of fish can be easily noticed from its rapid quality deterioration immediately after harvest, if held improperly and not processed promptly. The natural composition of fish and the contaminations they encounter during the processing are the main causes for the onset and subsequent undesirable quality changes in these commodities. The spoilage patterns of fish are broadly categorized as enzymatic, chemical and microbiological. The growth of pathogenic microorganisms as a result of contamination mostly does not produce detectable changes in the sensory qualities of fish, which adds to the challenge of fish processing. Thus, a number of preservation mechanisms have been and are being developed to tackle the quality and safety problems associated with fish and fishery products. Although every method can produce effective results, yet there is no single best method capable of ensuring the safety as well as halt the progress of spoilage at the same time. The various preservation methods used in the fish and fishery industry can be categorized into three as physical, chemical and bio-preservation methods. These methods have different modes of actions and are applied to extend the shelf life of fish and fishery products. The present review article provides an overview of some of the physical, chemical and biological preservation methods applied to fish and fishery products.

Antilisterial Potential of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Eliminating Listeria monocytogenes in Host and Ready-to-Eat Food Application

“…Although these food preservation techniques effectively extend the food shelf life, they may result in food quality deterioration such as loss of nutrients and sensory attributes, and adverse health effects resulting from chemical preservatives. Thus, hurdle technology has been developed to inaugurate a series of selective protection aspects to provide a hostile environment that coerces multi-stress reactions to foodborne pathogens and spoilage microorganisms [32,[143][144][145], minimizing food deterioration while maintaining the expected organoleptic quality through the implementation of more than one barrier including existing (temperature, pressure, pH, etc.) and novel (antimicrobial compounds and physicochemical treatment) preservation techniques [25,144].…”

“…Nevertheless, several factors should be considered for incorporating LAB/LAB bacteriocin as a hurdle, including their stability in terms of temperature, wide range of pH, tonicity, adaptability in the food matrix, and concentration [32]. Thus, appropriate intensity and a proper combination of hurdles need to be established to maximize food shelf life and quality [25,145]. Notably, safety concern or spoilage of hurdle-treated food may arise due to post-contamination or improper storage affected by extrinsic factors such as light [7,25,144].…”

Application of Novel Techniques for Monitoring Quality Changes in Meat and Fish Products during Traditional Processing Processes: Reconciling Novelty and Tradition

“…For example, if the drying is too fast, the final product can present a hard texture, which causes negative effects in the palatability of the product. Second, if the drying is to slow, food microbes could survive and subsequently contaminate the product [37]. Drying processes have several advantages, such as weight and volume reduction, easy food storage, packaging and transport, and they also offer characteristic flavors and odors to the food products.…”

“…Drying processes have several advantages, such as weight and volume reduction, easy food storage, packaging and transport, and they also offer characteristic flavors and odors to the food products. However, drying-based methods have been reported to present several disadvantages, such as a long drying time, high energy consumption, loss of aroma, flavor, and functional compounds (including vitamins, proteins, and lipids), and it often causes lipid oxidation, resulting in off-flavored products [36][37][38]. Nowadays, several innovative drying techniques have been developed to maintain the nutritional and physicochemical characteristics of the dried foods, such as infrared drying or microwave drying [38].…”

“…This process modifies the characteristics of the food, including the color, texture, and especially the aroma. Smoked meat products include bacon, German salami, speck (smoked pork belly), and different kinds of sausages, while some common smoked fish species are mackerel, salmon, trout, or herring [29,37].…”