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Review
. 2019 Oct 13;8(10):490.
doi: 10.3390/foods8100490.

Review on Natural Preservatives for Extending Fish Shelf Life

Jun Mei  1   2   3   4 , Xuan Ma  1 , Jing Xie  5   6   7   8
Affiliations
Review

Review on Natural Preservatives for Extending Fish Shelf Life

Jun Mei et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Fish is extremely perishable as a result of rapid microbial growth naturally present in fish or from contamination. Synthetic preservatives are widely used in fish storage to extend shelf life and maintain quality and safety. However, consumer preferences for natural preservatives and concerns about the safety of synthetic preservatives have prompted the food industry to search natural preservatives. Natural preservatives from microorganisms, plants, and animals have been shown potential in replacing the chemical antimicrobials. Bacteriocins and organic acids from bacteria showed good antimicrobial activities against spoilage bacteria. Plant-derived antimicrobials could prolong fish shelf life and decrease lipid oxidation. Animal-derived antimicrobials also have good antimicrobial activities; however, their allergen risk should be paid attention. Moreover, some algae and mushroom species can also provide a potential source of new natural preservatives. Obviously, the natural preservatives could perform better in fish storage by combining with other hurdles such as non-thermal sterilization processing, modified atmosphere packaging, edible films and coatings.

Keywords: application; fish; natural preservatives; spoilage mechanisms.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(a) Bulk EOs and different types of EO delivery systems, including nanoemulsion, liposomes, and biopolymer films; (b) Proposed common mechanisms of action and target sites of essential oils (EOs) or EO delivery systems on bacterial cell [110].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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