Innovative Preservation Methods Improving the Quality and Safety of Fish Products: Beneficial Effects and Limits

Toward Sustainable and Healthy Fish Products-The Role of Feeding and Preservation Techniques

Fish is a fundamental component of the human diet, and in the near future the proportion of aquatic foods originating from aquaculture production is expected to increase to over 56%. The sustainable growth of the aquaculture sector involves the use of new sustainable raw materials as substitutes for traditional fishmeal and fish oil ingredients, but it is crucial that the substitution maintains the nutritional value of the fish meat. In addition, the preservation of the nutritional value should be a mandatory requirement of new technologies that extend the shelf life of fish. In this context, we evaluated the impact of a newly formulated feed and three preservation treatments (brine, pulsed electric field (PEF), and PEF plus brine) on the fatty acid composition and protein and lipid digestibility of sea bass fillets. In non-digested fillets, although slightly reduced by the newly formulated feed (standard = 2.49 ± 0.14; newly formulated = 2.03 ± 0.10) the n-3/n-6 PUFA ratio indicated good nutritional value. The preservation treatments did not modify the fatty acid content and profile of non-digested fillets. Conversely, protein and lipid digestibility were not affected by the different diets but were significantly reduced by brine, with or without PEF, while PEF alone had no effect. Overall, our results indicated that the newly formulated feed containing 50% less fishmeal is a good compromise between the sustainability and nutritional value of cultivated seabass, and PEF is a promising preservation technology deserving of further study.

Sustainable Management of Food Waste during COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights into Irrational Food Hoarding among Chinese Citizens

During the COVID-19 pandemic, food waste caused by excessive hoarding has accounted a large proportion of the total food waste in urban Chinese households, which indicates that reducing food hoarding has become key to managing household food waste. This study therefore explored the behavioral mechanisms underlying excessive food hoarding among citizens. Based on a sample set of 511 respondents surveyed in Beijing, Hefei, and Guiyang in July 2022, a PLS-SEM model was conducted using SmartPLS 3.0 software to simulate the decision-making process of food hoarding. The following results were found. First, among the households with hoarding, 66.37% had some degree of food waste. Second, hoarding preference was the direct predictor of hoarding behavior, which means that hoarding behavior can be effectively controlled by regulating preferences. Third, group influence including homology consistency and social network support, as well as psychological panic, both enhanced citizens' hoarding preference and induced hoarding behavior. Therefore, it is necessary to weaken group influence and try to help citizens overcome panic. Finally, food supply information release can not only alleviate citizens' psychological panic and weaken group influence, but also block the transformation of preference into behavior. The above results are of great importance for the design of management policies for food waste caused by irrational hoarding during the pandemic.

Insights into the effects of different drying methods on protein oxidation and degradation characteristics of golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus)

The quality of dried fish products differs based on the drying method employed owing to the different drying principles, with changes in protein affecting the quality of these products. Therefore, we investigated the differences in golden pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) fish tissue structure and protein physicochemical properties under different drying methods. Freeze drying (FD) induced less tissue damage, leaving more intact myofibrils, than that of hot air drying (HAD) and heat pump drying (HPD). The structural stability of myofibrillar protein was retained to a greater extent after FD, while myoglobin oxidation was lower, and fish meat color was well maintained. Our findings not only elucidated the effects of several drying methods on the physicochemical properties of fish protein, but also determined the mechanism underlying quality changes observed during the drying process. This provides a theoretical reference for the study of dried fish filet processing.

Research Progress on Nutritional Value, Preservation and Processing of Fish-A Review

The global population has rapidly expanded in the last few decades and is continuing to increase at a rapid pace. To meet this growing food demand fish is considered a balanced food source due to their high nutritious value and low cost. Fish are rich in well-balanced nutrients, a good source of polyunsaturated fatty acids and impose various health benefits. Furthermore, the most commonly used preservation technologies including cooling, freezing, super-chilling and chemical preservatives are discussed, which could prolong the shelf life. Non-thermal technologies such as pulsed electric field (PEF), fluorescence spectroscopy, hyperspectral imaging technique (HSI) and high-pressure processing (HPP) are used over thermal techniques in marine food industries for processing of most economical fish products in such a way as to meet consumer demands with minimal quality damage. Many by-products are produced as a result of processing techniques, which have caused serious environmental pollution. Therefore, highly advanced technologies to utilize these by-products for high-value-added product preparation for various applications are required. This review provides updated information on the nutritional value of fish, focusing on their preservation technologies to inhibit spoilage, improve shelf life, retard microbial and oxidative degradation while extending the new applications of non-thermal technologies, as well as reconsidering the values of by-products to obtain bioactive compounds that can be used as functional ingredients in pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food processing industries.

Effects of single-, dual-, and multi-frequency ultrasound-assisted freezing on the muscle quality and myofibrillar protein structure in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea)

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MUAF significantly promoted the freezing process of large yellow croakers.

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MUAF enhanced the quality of large yellow croakers.

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MUAF better maintained the stability of fish protein.

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The mechanisms of single-, dual-, and multi-frequency UAF were analyzed.

Ultrasound-assisted freezing (UAF) has been proved to be a new technology to improve the quality of frozen foods. Frequency is an important parameter affecting UAF result. This study was to investigate the effects of single-, dual- and multi-frequency UAF on muscle quality and myofibrillar protein structure in large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea), providing reference for the application of multi-frequency UAF in frozen foods. Multi-frequency UAF increased the freezing rate and had lower thawing loss, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) value, and higher immobilized water content. Multi-frequency UAF had lower carbonyl, higher sulfhydryl content, and more stable myofibrillar protein secondary and tertiary structures. Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) indicated that the filamentous polymer in muscle fibrin solution with multi-frequency UAF was transformed into more evenly distributed units. In general, multi-frequency UAF significantly improved the freezing rate, reduced lipid oxidation, and maintained the myofibrillar structure.

Calcined Oyster Shell Powder as a Natural Preservative for Maintaining Quality of White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

Simple Summary

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) indicated that the average global production of oyster shell waste for the year 2019 was 3.08 million tons. Many serious problems include the emission of displeasing odors and pollution of the seaside, which are harmful to the environment. Nonetheless, a solution for this issue would be to reuse the waste and produce a product that has economic benefits and solves the environmental problems. Using calcined oyster shells as a natural preservative might solve the problem of oyster shell waste. In this study, we used calcined oyster shell powder (COSP) as a natural preservative for improving shrimp shelf-life during 12 days under refrigerated conditions. As compared with the control, COSP treatment effectively retarded pH change, reduced the formation of total volatile basic nitrogen, and inhibited bacterial growth during refrigerated storage. The development of preservatives for aquatic products is expected to delay the growth of and spoilage by microorganisms in the refrigerated state, thus providing more barrier protection for aquatic food safety.

Abstract

Oyster shell waste has led to many problems, including displeasing odors, pollution of the seaside, and harm to the environment. Using calcined oyster shells as a natural preservative might solve the problem of oyster shell waste. We studied the use of calcined oyster shell powder (COSP) as a natural preservative for improving shrimp shelf-life over 12 days under refrigerated conditions. As compared with the control, COSP treatment effectively retarded pH change, reduced the formation of total volatile basic nitrogen, and inhibited bacterial growth during refrigerated storage. In addition, shrimp muscle lipid oxidation measured by peroxide value (PV) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) was decreased during storage. The quality was preserved up to 12 days with 2.0–4.0% COSP treatment as compared with only 6 days for un-treated shrimp. The development of preservatives for aquatic products is expected to delay growth of and spoilage by microorganisms in the refrigerated state, thus providing more barrier protection for aquatic food safety.