Advancing Aquatic Food Processing: Energy-Efficient Approaches for Bioactive Recovery and Quality Preservation

Aquatic foods, including fish, shellfish, seaweeds, and other marine resources, are globally recognized for their exceptional nutritional value and their contribution to food security, human health, and sustainable livelihoods. However, the aquatic food sector continues to face major challenges associated with post-harvest losses, high energy consumption during processing, deterioration of quality attributes, and underutilization of valuable bioactive-rich by-products. Conventional processing and preservation techniques often lead to nutrient degradation, excessive water and energy use, and environmental burdens that conflict with emerging sustainability goals.

The growing demand for clean-label, functional, and minimally processed aquatic products has accelerated the need for next-generation food processing technologies that are energy-efficient, environmentally sustainable, and capable of preserving nutritional and sensory quality. In recent years, significant advances have been made in innovative thermal and non-thermal processing technologies such as infrared-assisted drying, solar-hybrid dehydration, pulsed electric field processing, cold plasma, ultrasound-assisted extraction, ohmic heating, microwave-vacuum drying, high-pressure processing, and supercritical fluid extraction. These approaches have demonstrated strong potential for reducing process energy requirements while enhancing product safety, shelf life, bioactive retention, and functional value.

Simultaneously, emerging technologies involving artificial intelligence, digital process monitoring, smart sensors, Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled drying systems, digital twins, and machine-learning-based quality prediction models are transforming aquatic food manufacturing into a more intelligent and resource-efficient industry. Novel encapsulation systems, nano-delivery platforms, biodegradable active packaging, and marine biopolymer-based edible coatings are also opening new opportunities for preserving sensitive compounds such as omega-3 fatty acids, peptides, collagen, pigments, antioxidants, and marine nutraceuticals.

Another important area of advancement is the valorization of seafood processing discards and underutilized marine biomass into high-value functional ingredients, bioactive compounds, biomaterials, and circular bioeconomy products. Integrating waste minimization strategies with energy-efficient processing technologies can significantly improve the sustainability and profitability of aquatic food systems.

Despite these technological developments, several challenges remain, including industrial scalability, techno-economic feasibility, regulatory acceptance, lifecycle sustainability assessment, and consumer perception of advanced processed foods. Therefore, multidisciplinary research integrating food engineering, biotechnology, sustainability assessment, materials science, nutrition, automation, and data science is essential to accelerate the transition toward resilient and sustainable aquatic food processing systems.

This Research Topic aims to provide an international platform for cutting-edge research and review articles addressing innovative, energy-efficient, and sustainable technologies for aquatic food processing, preservation, bioactive recovery, and quality enhancement. The collection seeks to bridge the gap between emerging engineering technologies and practical industrial applications while promoting circular economy principles and sustainable utilization of aquatic resources.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Advanced drying technologies for aquatic foods (infrared, microwave-vacuum, heat pump, solar-hybrid, freeze drying, electrohydrodynamic drying)

• Non-thermal and emerging preservation technologies (cold plasma, pulsed electric fields, high-pressure processing, ultrasound, ozone processing)

• AI-driven and IoT-enabled smart processing systems for seafood quality monitoring and process optimization

• Digital twins, machine learning, and predictive modeling in aquatic food engineering

• Energy and exergy analysis of aquatic food processing systems

• Sustainable extraction and purification of marine bioactive compounds

• Microencapsulation, nanoencapsulation, and targeted delivery systems for marine nutraceuticals

• Marine collagen, peptides, chitosan, pigments, omega-3 oils, and functional ingredient recovery

• Green solvents and supercritical fluid technologies for seafood bioactive extraction

• Smart and biodegradable packaging systems for aquatic foods

• Edible coatings and active packaging for shelf-life extension

• Circular bioeconomy approaches and valorization of seafood processing by-products

• Water-energy nexus and resource-efficient seafood processing facilities

• Life cycle assessment and carbon footprint analysis of aquatic food processing technologies

• Sensory quality, food safety, and nutritional evaluation of novel processed aquatic foods

• Sustainable processing of seaweeds and underutilized marine resources

• Industrial scale-up, commercialization, and techno-economic assessment of innovative aquatic food technologies