Emerging Approach for Fish Freshness Evaluation: Principle, Application and Challenges

Edible Coatings for Fish Preservation: Literature Data on Storage Temperature, Product Requirements, Antioxidant Activity, and Coating Performance-A Review

Fresh fish is among the most nutritive foodstuffs, but it is also the most perishable one. Therefore, huge efforts have been made to find the most suitable tools to deliver fish of the highest quality to exigent consumers. Scientific studies help the industry to exploit the newest findings to scale up emerging industrial technologies. In this review article, the focus is on the latest scientific findings on edible films used for fish coatings and storage. Since today's packaging processing and economy are governed by sustainability, naturality underpins packaging science. The synthesis of edible coatings, their components, processing advantages, and disadvantages are outlined with respect to the preservation requirements for sensitive fish. The requirements of coating properties are underlined for specific scenarios distinguishing cold and freezing conditions. This review raises the importance of antioxidants and their role in fish storage and preservation. A summary of their impact on physical, chemical, microbiological, and sensory alterations upon application in real fish is given. Studies on their influence on product stability, including pro-oxidant activity and the prevention of the autolysis of fish muscle, are given. Examples of lipid oxidation and its inhibition by the antioxidants embedded in edible coatings are given together with the relationship to the development of off-odors and other unwanted impacts. This review selects the most significant and valuable work performed in the past decade in the field of edible coatings whose development is on the global rise and adheres to food waste and sustainable development goals 2 (zero hunger), 3 (good health and well-being), and 12 (responsible consumption and production).

A Review of Advanced Sensor Technologies for Aquatic Products Freshness Assessment in Cold Chain Logistics

The evaluation of the upkeep and freshness of aquatic products within the cold chain is crucial due to their perishable nature, which can significantly impact both quality and safety. Conventional methods for assessing freshness in the cold chain have inherent limitations regarding specificity and accuracy, often requiring substantial time and effort. Recently, advanced sensor technologies have been developed for freshness assessment, enabling real-time and non-invasive monitoring via the detection of volatile organic compounds, biochemical markers, and physical properties. The integration of sensor technologies into cold chain logistics enhances the ability to maintain the quality and safety of aquatic products. This review examines the advancements made in multifunctional sensor devices for the freshness assessment of aquatic products in cold chain logistics, as well as the application of pattern recognition algorithms for identification and classification. It begins by outlining the categories of freshness criteria, followed by an exploration of the development of four key sensor devices: electronic noses, electronic tongues, biosensors, and flexible sensors. Furthermore, the review discusses the implementation of advanced pattern recognition algorithms in sensor devices for freshness detection and evaluation. It highlights the current status and future potential of sensor technologies for aquatic products within the cold chain, while also addressing the significant challenges that remain to be overcome.

Recent and emerging trends of metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-based sensors for detecting food contaminants: A critical and comprehensive review

Interest in the use of sensors based on metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to detect food pollutants has been growing recently due to the desirable characteristics of MOFs, including uniform structures, large surface area, ultrahigh porosity and easy-to-functionalize surface. Fundamentally, this review offers an excellent solution using MOFs-based sensors (e.g., fluorescent, electrochemical, electrochemiluminescence, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, and colorimetric sensors) to detect food contaminants such as pesticide residues, mycotoxins, antibiotics, food additives, and other hazardous candidates. More importantly, their application scenarios and advantages in food detection are also introduced in more detail. Therefore, this systematic review analyzes detection limits, linear ranges, the role of functionalities, and immobilized nanoparticles utilized in preparing MOFs-based sensors. Additionally, the main limitations of each sensing type, along with the enhancement mechanisms of MOFs in addressing efficient sensing are discussed. Finally, the limitations and potential trends of MOFs-based materials in food contaminant detection are also highlighted.

Critical review and recent advances of emerging real-time and non-destructive strategies for meat spoilage monitoring

Monitoring and evaluating food quality, especially meat quality, has received a growing interest to ensure human health and decrease waste of raw materials. Standard analytical approaches used for meat spoilage assessment suffer from time consumption, being labor-intensive, operation complexity, and destructiveness. To overcome shortfalls of these traditional methods and monitor spoilage microorganisms or related metabolites of meat products across the supply chain, emerging analysis devices/systems with higher sensitivity, better portability, on-line/in-line, non-destructive and cost-effective property are urgently needed. Herein, we first overview the basic concepts, causes, and critical monitoring indicators associated with meat spoilage. Then, the conventional detection methods for meat spoilage are outlined objectively in their strengths and weaknesses. In addition, we place the focus on the recent research advances of emerging non-destructive devices and systems for assessing meat spoilage. These novel strategies demonstrate their powerful potential in the real-time evaluation of meat spoilage.

Chemical properties indices for nutritional quality evaluation of Nasser Lake fish, Aswan, Egypt

Background

Fish is considered an important food because it includes main nutrients (proteins, fats, and ash) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). The assessment of fish nutritional content data may offer crucial recommendations regarding freshwater fish consumption and preserving human well-being.

Aim

Evaluate the safety and quality properties of Nasser Lake fish, Aswan, Egypt.

Methods

A total of 250 samples, 50 of each Nile tilapia, Nile perch, Zander, Catfish, and Elephant-snout, from Nasser Lake, Aswan, Egypt; beheaded, eviscerated, filleted, and minced for determination of proximate analysis, amino acid, fatty acids (FAs), minerals and heavy metal, histamine content, cholesterol content, and sensory assessment.

Results

The proximate analysis showed that all the samples examined were of good protein sources, with mean values ranging from 15.92% to 22.89%. Nile perch exhibits the highest levels of total FAs and amino acids. Heavy metal concentrations varied considerably among the analyzed samples, with a significant variance in the detection of metals among the examined fish. The findings show low histamine and cholesterol levels in the examined species, and were in accordance with those set by the National Food Safety Authority (NFSA) and the European Union Commission (EC). Accordingly, all samples are accepted based on their sensory properties.

Conclusion

Nasser Lake fish are of high nutritional value and have an excellent supply of amino and FAs.

Amine vapor-responsive ratiometric sensing tag based on HPTS/TPB-PVA fluorescent film for visual determination of fish freshness

In this study, amine vapor-sensitive films with ratiometric fluorescence attributes were developed. The pH-sensitive fluorescein 8-hydroxypyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid trisodium salt (HPTS) and its tetraphenylethylene derivative (TPB) were selected as ratiometric indicators and incorporated into a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix to produce HPTS/TPB-PVA films. The films responded well to amine vapors, and the interference of aromatic vapors did not substantially affect the fluorescence signals of the films. Under UV light at a wavelength of 365 nm, the fluorescence of the films changed from dark pink to light pink and finally to yellow when the freshness of the fish was visually checked during storage. In addition, the color difference values of the films showed a positive correlation with the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N), ranging from 12.7 to 24.8 mg/100 g at 25 °C and 8.4 to 25.6 mg/100 g at 4 °C, respectively. This indicates that fluorescent films have good potential for quantifying fish freshness in the near future when connected to an automatic data processing system based on color differences.

A Novel Indicator Based on Polyacrylamide Hydrogel and Bromocresol Green for Monitoring the Total Volatile Basic Nitrogen of Fish

An intelligent indicator was developed by immobilizing bromocresol green (BCG) within the polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogel matrix to monitor the total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) content of fish. The FTIR analysis indicated that BCG was effectively incorporated into the PAAm through the formation of intermolecular hydrogen bonds. A thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) showed that the PAAm/BCG indicator had a mere 0.0074% acrylamide monomer residue, meanwhile, the addition of BCG improved the thermal stability of the indicator. In vapor tests with various concentrations of trimethylamine, the indicator performed similarly at both 4 °C and 25 °C. The total color difference values (ΔE) exhibited a significant linear response to TVB-N levels ranging from 4.29 to 30.80 mg/100 g at 4 °C (R2 = 0.98). Therefore, the PAAm/BCG indicator demonstrated stable and sensitive color changes based on pH variations and could be employed in smart packaging for real-time assessment of fish freshness.

Consumer Perception of Freshness and Volatile Composition of Fresh Gilthead Seabream and Seabass in Active Packaging with and without CO2-Emitting Pads

Active packaging with CO₂-emitters (pads) has recently been used for shelf-life extension of fresh fish. The aim of this study was to identify consumer attitudes towards fresh fish packaging, to examine whether Greek consumers prefer active packaging with pad over active packaging without pad, to investigate any perceived differences in the sensory freshness of the fish, and to relate consumer perception to volatile composition of fish fillets. In total, 274 consumers participated in the study which included freshness sensory evaluation of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) and seabass (Dicentrarchuslabrax), whole-gutted and filleted, raw and cooked, at high quality and at the end of high-quality shelf-life. Samples were packed under modified atmosphere either with a pad or without. Results showed that consumers preferred packages with pads, especially at the end of high quality shelf-life. They perceived raw samples packed with a pad to be fresher and closer to the ideal product, and also had a higher purchase intention towards them. Cooked samples were not perceived differently. Consumers' perception was in accordance with the GC-MS findings in the volatile compounds that function as freshness or spoilage indicators. Most participants were positive towards fresh fish packaging although they usually buy unpacked fresh fish. Our results suggest that active packaging with CO₂ emitters contribute to freshness preservation and that it has a positive potential in the Greek market.