Effect of Irradiation on Fish and Seafood

Abstract

The consumption of diets rich in fish by various populations and by groups participating in clinical trials has been associated with a wide range of positive health effects. However, the major problem with respect to distribution of seafood or fishery products is their susceptibility to spoilage, mainly due to the contamination of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms. Bacterial spoilage of saltwater fish is caused by nonfermenting gram-negative bacteria such as Pseudomonas, Achromobacter, Acinetobacter, Flavobacterium, Alteromonas, and Shewanella spp. Irradiation produces some chemical changes, which, although lethal to foodborne bacteria, do not affect the nutritional quality of the food but lead to the production of small amounts of radiolytic products. Gamma irradiation has been considered as an interesting method of preservation to extend the shelf life of fish and also to reduce qualitatively and quantitatively the microbial population in fish and fish products. Irradiation doses of 2-7 kGy can reduce important food pathogens such as Salmonella, Listeria, and Vibrio spp., as well as many fish-specific spoilers such as Pseudomonaceae and Enterobacteriaceae that can be significantly decreased in number. This chapter presents a comprehensive review of fish and fishery products irradiation research and irradiation combined with other preservation technologies. The data include results on freshwater and marine fish, shellfish, crustaceans, and mollusks. © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.