Spectroscopic Techniques for Monitoring Thermal Treatments in Fish and Other Seafood: A Review of Recent Developments and Applications

Abstract

Cooking is an important processing method, that has been used since ancient times in order to both ensure microbiological safety and give desired organoleptic properties to the cooked food. Fish and other seafood products are highly sensitive to thermal treatments and the application of severe heat can result in negative consequences on sensory and nutritional parameters, as well as other quality attributes of the thermally processed products. To avoid such undesired effects and to extend the shelf life of these perishable products, both the heat processing methods and the assessment techniques used to monitor the process should be optimized. In this review paper, the most common cooking methods and some innovative ones will first be presented with a brief discussion of their impact on seafood quality. The main methods used for monitoring heat treatments will then be reviewed with a special focus on spectroscopic techniques, which are known to be rapid and non-destructive methods compared to traditional approaches. Finally, viewpoints of the current challenges will be discussed and possible directions for future applications and research will be suggested. The literature presented in this review clearly demonstrates the potential of spectroscopic techniques, coupled with chemometric tools, for online monitoring of heat-induced changes resulting from the application of thermal treatments of seafood. The use of fluorescence hyperspectral imaging is especially promising, as the technique combines the merits of both fluorescence spectroscopy (high sensitivity and selectivity) and hyperspectral imaging (spatial dimension). With further research and investigation, the few current limitations of monitoring thermal treatments by spectroscopy can be addressed, thus enabling the use of spectroscopic techniques as a routine tool in the seafood industry.

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

“…Therefore, quality deterioration can occur rapidly unless adequate processing or preservation methods are employed. Examples of these methods include thermal treatments, low-temperatures, and natural preservatives, among many others [3][4][5][6][7][8].…”

Use of Spectroscopic Techniques to Monitor Changes in Food Quality during Application of Natural Preservatives: A Review

“…The UV-Vis spectroscopy is based on the measurement of the absorbance of the sample in the region of the UV (250–400 nm) or visible (400–780 nm) spectrum, and reflects the energy absorbed for electronic transitions [ 7 ]. To evaluate the total antioxidant capacity (TAC), which has several health benefits, the spectroscopic methods can be used, and the evaluation is based on the generation of radical species and their subsequent disappearance when the antioxidant compound is added [ 192 ].…”

“…Some estimates indicated that about 25–30% of food is lost, due to microbial spoilage [ 4 , 5 ]. Alterations in nutritional and sensory properties of food can be prevented or delayed by the application of many reliable, well-established techniques, including among others low temperature-based methods (e.g., chilling, and freezing), thermal and non-thermal treatments, and traditional further processing processes (e.g., salting, smoking, and drying) [ 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 ]. Chemical and synthetic preservatives, such as sodium benzoate, sodium nitrite, and sulfur dioxide, have also been used (until recently) to enhance the antioxidant and antimicrobial stability of foods.…”

Fraud in Animal Origin Food Products: Advances in Emerging Spectroscopic Detection Methods over the Past Five Years

“…Spectroscopic techniques have gained much importance during the last few years, and spectroscopy has been a popular “buzz word” in the context of fighting fraud and verifying the authenticity of food products. The considerable interest in these non-targeted fingerprinting techniques may be due to the advancements in the analytical instruments and the increasing awareness in the food industry and research on the advantageous aspects of applying such techniques [ 13 ]. The number of scientific works regarding the use of spectroscopy for food authenticity increased from 134 papers during 2010–2014 to 369 papers during 2015–2019 ( Figure 3 a), while the number of total citations ( Figure 3 b) doubled during the last five years (20,784 citations between 2015 and 2019 versus 9666 citations between 2010 and 2014).…”