Revolutionizing seafood safety and sustainability: Ensuring safe seas to plates

Abstract

Fisheries and aquaculture are some of the key industries in the Southeast Asian region, not only supplying fish and fishery products to the local demand but also exporting worldwide to meet the growing demand for seafood. However, the perishable nature of seafood poses challenges in maintaining its quality and safety. Hence, there is a need to develop good handling practices and reputable technologies that would mitigate the high microbiological risk while retaining the high nutritional content. Rapid deterioration of quality due to irreversible processes such as microbiological metabolism, oxidative reactions, and enzymatic activity take place soon after the capture and/or harvest of seafood. From catch to consumer, good handling practices and processing technologies are crucial to safeguard the freshness and safety of seafood products by extending shelf life as well as maintaining nutritional quality and economic value.