Chemical aspects of the preservation and safety control of sea foods

Abstract

The interest in biopreservation of food has prompted the quest for new natural antimicrobial compounds from different origins. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are found widely distributed through nature, and participate in the innate host defense of each species. Fish are a great source of these peptides and fish-derived peptides exhibit broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity. This review introduces the general characteristics and biological activity of fish-derived AMPs, discusses the genetic engineering of fish-derived AMPs and antibacterial mechanisms, and emphasizes the importance of novel biopreservation strategies and their application to ensure the quality and safety of aquatic products.