ABSTRACT
Seafood products provide an important source of nutrients in diets in many countries. Among seafoods, sh and sh products have always been considered to be an excellent source of proteins and minerals in a low-fat product (Kinsella 1988) in addition to being rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). However, sh are highly perishable, and spoiled sh have a strong odor, soft esh with brown traces of blood, and dark-red gills with slime on them (Ackman 1990). These deteriorations are due to autolytic spoilage by enzymes, fat oxidation, microbiological spoilage, or a combination of these. In Asia, seasonally available sh species are preserved by fermentation, and fermented sh products are consumed daily (Mizutani et al. 1987; Kimizuka et al. 1992; Fraser and Sumar 1998).
