Applications to Aquatic Foods Preservation

Aquatic products not only have the beneficial properties of providing essential calories for the human body, but also have a unique taste and a variety of nutrients, such as protein, docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, etc. However, compared with other muscle products, aquatic products, especially fish, have more free amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, less connective tissue and higher enzyme activity. Therefore, quality deterioration, such as protein degradation, lipid oxidation, and changes in the smell, taste, and texture of fish, can easily occur during the rotting process of aquatic products. These phenomena lead to a short shelf life of aquatic foods, resulting in reduced consumer acceptance. The shelf life extension of aquatic products is mainly achieved by delaying the oxidation process, preventing microbial growth and inhibiting enzyme activity, while traditional fresh-keeping techniques (packaging, freezing, etc.) cannot sufficiently inhibit rancidity, fat oxidation and bacterial reproduction, so effective food preservation must be developed New technology is used to realize the preservation of aquatic products.

Preservation of Different Aquatic Products

At present, many advanced food preservation methods have been applied in aquatic products of different biological species. Aprofood is committed to pioneering and innovating in the food field, and has a variety of cutting-edge fresh-keeping technologies, such as nanotechnology, edible coating development technology, genetic engineering technology, etc., and can provide comprehensive aquatic product preservation solutions for global customers.

Fish

Fish has high protein content, contains a variety of degrading enzymes, and is easily contaminated by microorganisms and deteriorates. Generally, a combination of multiple preservation methods is used to control it. For example, the application of a compound formula of rosemary, sage, thyme and clove combined with smoking and vacuum packaging with clove essential oil was used to preserve the freshness of rainbow trout, extending the shelf life by 6–7 weeks.

Shrimps

Shrimp has a high-water content and soft muscle tissue, which is susceptible to bacterial attack, which turns black and soft and produces an unpleasant smell. It was reported that the use of pomegranate peel extract and chitosan to develop an edible coating for the protection of Pacific white shrimp found that the inhibition of microbial growth, color change and texture was significantly enhanced. In addition, the development of active packaging using thyme essential oil also extended the shelf life of peeled shrimp.

Crabs

The spoilage of crab meat is a complex process. Despite the initial quality loss (loss of freshness) caused by chemical and enzymatic reactions, post-harvest crabs are also contaminated with microorganisms from the harvesting site, spoilage is mainly due to the metabolic activity of the bacteria as well as amines, sulfides, alcohols, aldehydes, Production of ketones and organic acids. Using a compound formula based on organic acids (LA, AA and CA) and sodium chloride can inhibit Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, etc. in crab meat, prolong the shelf life is 3 days.

Shellfish

Shellfish are nutritious, delicious and have a high content of vitamin B12. The traditional way to keep fresh shellfish fresh is to freeze and keep fresh, but its meat quality is easy to age during the freezing process. The use of antioxidants from bamboo leaves (AOB) on scallops during cold storage could effectively delay protein and lipid oxidation and bacterial growth, and maintain better microstructure and textural characteristics, extending the shelf life by 2 days.

In addition, according to the source of aquatic products (marine source, fresh water source), different processing methods (slicing, crushing), and different processing methods (fresh, refrigerated, frozen), different preservation methods are used. Therefore, to find the best preservation method, multiple factors need to be considered comprehensively. Aprofood is committed to improving the quality of aquatic products and extending their shelf life through various preservation technologies, so as to support customers to develop various high-quality products in the food industry. If you have any interested products or solutions, please contact us!

References

1. Shahidi, F., & Hossain, A. (2022). Preservation of aquatic food using edible films and coatings containing essential oils: a review. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 62(1), 66–105.
2. Qiu, L., Zhang, M., Bhandari, B., & Yang, C. (2022). Shelf life extension of aquatic products by applying nanotechnology: a review. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition, 62(6), 1521–1535.