Packaging Interventions in Low Temperature Preservation of Fish- A Review

Consumption of fish is increasing globally due to increasing evidence of positive benefits for medical conditions like constipation, cardiovascular diseases, obesity, hypertension and certain variety of cancer. World per capita apparent fish consumption increased from an average of 9.9 kg in the 1960s to 19.2 kg in 2012 [1]. Fish is the main source of protein in many parts of the world. Fish is a rich source of dietary proteins and omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids which reduces cholesterol levels. Various health benefits have been attributed to the consumption of fish like cardioprotective benefits, improved pregnancy outcomes, fewer preterm and low birth weight deliveries. Though fish is highly nutritious, it is also highly perishable due to the presence of high moisture, protein and highly oxidizable poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), making it vulnerable to various biochemical, physical and microbial forms of deterioration throughout the production chain. Proper preservation of fish assumes greater importance to reduce the wastage of nutritious food commodity. Among the various preservation methods available, low temperature preservation especially chilling or refrigerated storage has attracted interest of many researchers as it induces minimal changes in the texture and other characteristics of fish. However, it has limited shelf life depending on the species of fish. Although various researchers have reported beneficial effects of using innovative packaging technologies like vacuum packaging, modified atmosphere packaging and active packaging technologies on the safety and shelf life of fish products, there is no report on the detailed review in these aspects. In this review, an attempt was made to compile data obtained from literature related to the packaging interventions to enhance the quality and shelf life of fish products preserved in low temperature storage conditions.