Research progress on physical field technologies in aquatic product processing: ohmic heating, electron beam and electromagnetic wave

The application of physical field technologies such as ohmic heating, electron beam and electromagnetic wave in aquatic product processing has been widely studied. However, there is a lack of comprehensive review articles summarizing the research progress. Based on the relevant literatures in recent years, this paper reviewed the current research status of the application of physical field technologies including ohmic heating, electron beam, radio frequency and microwave in aquatic product processing. Compared with traditional processing technologies, ohmic heating, electron beam, radio frequency and microwave exhibited significant application advantages in nutrients extraction, tempering, drying, fermentation temperature control, cooking, sterilization and preservation, gel formation, saltiness enhancement and allergenicity reduction. These physical field technologies could greatly increase production efficiency, reduce production costs, elevate the utilization rate of by-products, and maintain and improve the quality of aquatic products. On the other hand, physical field technologies also had certain limitations, for example, the temperature control accuracy of ohmic heating declines in the later processing stage; electron beam irradiation presents distinct differences in bactericidal effects against various microorganisms; radio frequency and microwave technologies have obvious edge-heating effects. Future researches should focus on overcoming the inherent limitations of physical field technologies to promote their application in high-quality processing of aquatic products.