Research progress on the mechanism of fish quality deterioration during frozen storage and novel control technologies

Frozen storage is a prevalent technique for maintaining the freshness of fish. However, fish quality is susceptible to decline throughout the freezing period, substantially impacting its flavor and nutritive content. Hence, this article examines the mechanisms behind the quality degradation and the control strategies employed to preserve fish during frozen storage. Firstly, the formation of ice crystals and the reasons for the decline of fish meat quality were clarified. Secondly, the factors that may lead to quality deterioration during frozen storage were analyzed, including protein denaturation, fat oxidation and enzymatic reaction. Furthermore, the novel freezing control technologies for the deterioration of fish frozen storage quality were reviewed, including the technology of adjusting the nucleation, growth behavior, and recrystallization of ice crystals, and the technology of improving the freezing rate. Finally, the development direction of the research on the deterioration of frozen fish quality in the future was prospected, and novel technologies and methods to improve the quality of frozen fish were pointed out, which is expected to lay a foundation for higher quality frozen fish meat in the future.