The popularity of preprocessed fresh fishery products such as fillets and peeled shrimps is growing in today s market due to their convenience for subsequent processing and cooking. However, fishery products are highly perishable because of the combined actions of biochemical reactions and microbial metabolism. Various methods have been proposed to address this problem. Among these methods, bio-based edible coating has been highlighted as a promising solution. This review updates and summarizes the recent literature on the application of coatings for the preservation of fishery products including the aspects of coating carriers, composite natural preservatives and coating methods, and a discussion of the protective effects based on microbial, physicochemical and sensorial evaluations. Moreover, some challenges and future research directions regarding optimization of formulas and exploration of mechanisms of coating are also discussed. Given consumer demand for fresh fishery products with long shelf life, edible coatings that are environmentally friendly and effective alternative will be used to extend the shelf life of fishery products.
Keywords: Fishery products; edible coatings; natural preservatives; quality retention; shelf life.