Abstract
A literature search and systematic review were conducted to present and discuss the most recent research studies for the past twenty years on the application of non-thermal methods for ensuring the microbiological safety and quality of fish and seafood. This review presents the principles and reveals the potential benefits of high hydrostatic pressure processing (HHP), ultrasounds (US), non-thermal atmospheric plasma (NTAP), pulsed electric fields (PEF), and electrolyzed water (EW) as alternative methods to conventional heat treatments. Some of these methods have already been adopted by the seafood industry, while others show promising results in inactivating microbial contaminants or spoilage bacteria from solid or liquid seafood products without affecting the biochemical or sensory quality. The main applications and mechanisms of action for each emerging technology are being discussed. Each of these technologies has a specific mode of microbial inactivation and a specific range of use. Thus, their knowledge is important to design a practical application plan focusing on producing safer, qualitative seafood products with added value following today’s consumers’ needs.
Highlights
Raw fish and seafood products belong to the most traded foodstuff worldwide (FAO, 2020) and are much appreciated because of their high nutritional value
pulsed electric fields (PEF) (4–12 kV/cm): damaged roes were less than 8.0% with greater damage with higher pulse numbers PEF (0.35 kV/cm, 20–40 pulses): the muscle cells decreased in size, and gaping occurred with collagen leakage in the gap PEF (0.35 kV/cm, 20–40 pulses) + high hydrostatic pressure processing (HHP) (300 MPa): produced gaping without visible collagen leakage in the gap PEF treatment could be used as a pretreatment for maintaining the quality parameters of perishable seafood that undergoes changes
This study revealed the potential to use electrolyzed water (EW) with strong oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) and chlorine concentration of 10–20 mg/L to inhibit the activity of pathogenic bacteria from important aquaculture shellfish, which are known to be contaminated or even accumulate these microorganisms by filtering the environmental water [225,226]
Summary
Raw fish and seafood products belong to the most traded foodstuff worldwide (FAO, 2020) and are much appreciated because of their high nutritional value. Traditional thermal processing techniques, such as pasteurization and sterilization applied by the seafood industry, may be very efficient in inactivating or inhibiting bacterial pathogens but usually result in undesirable nutritional, chemical/biochemical, and sensorial changes in foods. These changes reduce the consumer’s acceptance of seeking minimally processed products with improved safety, added value, and increased shelf life [5,6]. High hydrostatic pressure processing (HHP), ultrasounds (US), non-thermal atmospheric plasma (NTAP), pulsed electric fields (PEF), and electrolyzed water (EW) are some methods showing the potential to be applied by the seafood industry. Considering the above, it is apparent that continuing research to improve our understanding of HHP effects on fresh and ready-to-eat (RTE) food and seafood products are essential to follow the market’s needs and offer safer pathogen-free foods with added value
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