Fish preservation: a multi–dimensional approach

Fish is one of the most nutritionally valuable and highly perishable food stuffs The delicacy of fish can be easily noticed from its rapid quality deterioration immediately after harvest if held improperly and not processed promptly The natural composition of fish and the contaminations they encounter during the processing are the main causes for the onset and subsequent undesirable quality changes in these commodities The spoilage patterns of fish are broadly categorized as enzymatic chemical and microbiological The growth of pathogenic microorganisms as a result of contamination mostly does not produce detectable changes in the sensory qualities of fish which adds to the challenge of fish processing Thus a number of preservation mechanisms have been and are being developed to tackle the quality and safety problems associated with fish and fishery products Although every method can produce effective results yet there is no single best method capable of ensuring the safety as well as halt the progress of spoilage at the same time The various preservation methods used in the fish and fishery industry can be categorized into three as physical chemical and bio ndash preservation methods These methods have different modes of actions and are applied to extend the shelf life of fish and fishery products The present review article provides an overview of some of the physical chemical and biological preservation methods applied to fish and fishery products