Czech J. Food Sci., 2023, 41(5):313-322 | DOI: 10.17221/87/2023-CJFS

Ultra-high-pressure technology for preservation of fresh aquatic foods: A reviewReview

Jiakun Peng^1,3, Chune Liu¹, Kaikai Bai^1,3, Shaohua Xing², Feng Liu^1*

¹ Yantai Research Institute of China Agricultural University, China Agricultural University, Yantai, China

² School of Food Engineering, Ludong University, Yantai, China

³ College of Engineering, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China

Aquatic foods such as fish, shrimp, and shellfish are important human nutrient sources. However, aquatic foods spoil quickly during processing and storage due to spoilage bacteria and endogenous enzymes. Ultra-high-pressure (UHP) technology, as an advanced non-thermal treatment method, is an effective preservation technique for aquatic foods. The mechanism of UHP technology is to destroy non-covalent bonds by UHP, which leads to the change of cell membrane permeability and the destruction of high-level structure of proteins, making apoptosis and enzyme inactivation. The technology can effectively sterilise and preserve food's colour, taste and nutritional value. The paper provides an introduction to the working principles, types, sources and equipment and describes the progress of the research and application of UHP technology in pascalisation, enzyme inactivation, parasite inactivation and quality modification of aquatic products. Potential limitations and prospects of the technology are also outlined. We hope to lay the theoretical groundwork for using this technique in aquatic product processing and provide guidance for its application in industrial production.

Keywords: emerging technologies; microbial inactivation; non-thermal preservation technology; quality control; shelf-life

Received: June 7, 2023; Revised: August 25, 2023; Accepted: September 18, 2023; Prepublished online: September 22, 2023; Published: October 30, 2023  Show citation