Seafood Preservation

Humans have been fishing for at least 40,000 years, and since the beginning, because of the challenge of temperature-dependent perishability of fresh fish, ways of keeping the catch edible for extended storage times without refrigeration have been sought. These efforts have led to the traditional preservation technologies, such as drying, salting, pickling, and smoking. These technologies are still used extensively today for fishery products, though many of the processes are industrialized and optimized towards the consumers’ preferences rather than longest possible shelf-life.

Drying is probably one of the oldest preservation methods, but it is not a simple process to model, since many extrinsic (e.g., temperature, humidity, air velocity) and intrinsic (e.g., geometry, shrinkage, water distribution) parameters must be considered in product optimization. However, modelling and numerical simulation of heat and mass transfer can be a time and cost-efficient tool to better understand food processing and product development. A paper in this issue provides a model of the drying kinetics of sea cucumber.

Salting and fermentation are other traditional preservation methods that are still highly relevant for fish products. Indonesian scientists have investigated how this process technology influences the allergenicity of different fish species. There have been various proposed hypotheses on how different preservation technologies can either remove or enhance food allergens, and the article in the present issue contributes to this field of growing interest of food preservation and allergenicity.

Other preservation technologies we touch upon in this issue are the use of liquid smoke instead of traditional smoking resulting in perhaps a healthier approach, as well as the misuse of formaldehyde as a preserving agent and how to detect it. With additional articles on preservation by freezing or adding essential oils, it should be possible to find something interesting for all our readers in this issue.