Smart Non-Thermal Fish Processing:Integration of Pulsed Electric Field, Cold Plasma and Artificial Intelligence for Sustainable Seafood Preservation

Fish is a highly nutritious food and an important source of high-quality protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. However, its high moisture content, water activity, endogenous enzymes, and unsaturated lipids make it highly susceptible to microbial spoilage, enzymatic deterioration, and lipid oxidation. Conventional preservation methods such as freezing, salting, smoking, drying, and thermal processing can extend shelf life but may affect texture, color, flavor, nutritional quality, and energy consumption. Emerging non-thermal technologies such as pulsed electric field (PEF), cold atmospheric plasma (CAP), and high-pressure processing (HPP) offer promising alternatives for seafood preservation. This article proposes an innovative concept of artificial-intelligence-integrated multi-hurdle non-thermal fish processing, combining PEF, cold plasma, HPP, smart sensors, artificial intelligence (AI), intelligent packaging, and cold-chain monitoring. PEF can support microbial control, salting, drying, and extraction, while AI can optimize processing conditions according to fish quality. The proposed system could improve safety, quality, shelf life, resource utilization, and sustainability in the seafood industry.