Valorization of low-value fish for sustainable and innovative seafood product development
Abstract
Low-cost and underutilized fish species often receive limited market value because of their small size, undesirable appearance, high perishability, seasonal availability, or limited consumer preference. Processing these fish into value-added products such as fish balls, nuggets, sausages, burgers, patties and imitation crab sticks can improve resource utilization and increase economic returns. Surimi technology is particularly useful because it concentrates functional myofibrillar proteins and allows different fish species to be converted into standardized products. Recent studies have demonstrated the potential of Indian mackerel, Indian major carps, tilapia and other species for surimi and restructured seafood production. Proper washing, dewatering, salt extraction, formulation, heating and frozen storage are important for obtaining desirable texture, colour and water-holding capacity (Somjid et al., 2021; Gore et al., 2022; Xie et al., 2024). Fish analogue production can therefore contribute to post-harvest loss reduction, livelihood development and sustainable fisheries resource utilization.
Full Text
Tables and figures are in the full-text PDF.
Introduction
Fish is an important source of high-quality protein, essential amino acids, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins and minerals. However, many small-sized, irregularly shaped or seasonally abundant fish species receive comparatively low market prices. Fish prices may vary considerably according to species, season, abundance and market demand (Shyam et al., 2018) [1] . Converting such fish into value-added products provides an opportunity to improve their economic utilization. Seafood value addition can include products such as fish fingers, nuggets, cutlets, sausages, fish balls, burgers and surimi-based products. ICAR-CIFT has developed several value-added seafood products using lowvalued fish and processing resources (Parvathy et al., 2020) [2] . Such approaches can reduce dependence on fresh-fish markets and create opportunities for small-scale processing enterprises.
Low-cost fish as raw material
Low-cost fish are not necessarily nutritionally inferior. Their low price may result from small size, high bone content, unattractive appearance, dark muscle, strong flavour, seasonal abundance or inadequate market infrastructure. Suitable species should have good protein content, acceptable freshness, adequate meat yield and sufficient functional properties. Indian mackerel has been investigated as an alternative surimi raw material, with washing treatments improving several quality characteristics (Somjid et al., 2021) [3] . Indian major carps have also been evaluated for mince and gel production (Gore et al., 2022) [4] . [5,6] .
Fish analogues and surimi technology
General processing flow
Low-cost fish → Washing → Dressing → Meat separation → Mincing → Washing → Dewatering → Refining → Salt/ingredients → Chopping → Forming → Heating → Cooling → Packaging → Storage Washing can improve colour and remove blood, pigments, sarcoplasmic proteins and undesirable compounds. However, excessive washing may reduce product yield and increase wastewater generation (Somjid et al., 2021) [3] .
Development of value-added products
Low-cost fish can be converted into several commercially useful products.
Table 2. Major fish analogue products
Product Major characteristics
Imitation crab stick
Surimi-based, coloured and shaped seafood product Fish nugget Breaded and fried/baked product Fish ball Gelled minced-fish product Fish sausage Emulsified fish product Fish burger/patty Formed minced-fish product Fish cutlet Seasoned and breaded value-added product Product quality depends on fish freshness, protein functionality, salt concentration, starch or hydrocolloid addition, heating conditions and storage (Walayat et al., 2022; Yang et al., 2025) [7,8] .
Nutritional and economic importance
Fish analogues can provide high-quality protein in convenient forms. Depending on the raw material and formulation, products may also provide omega-3 fatty acids, minerals and other nutrients. However, formulation and processing can change moisture, fat, sodium and protein levels, so nutritional evaluation should be conducted for each product.
Value addition can increase the economic utility of low-priced fish by converting raw material into products with longer shelf life and wider market opportunities. Small processing units, cooperatives, women's self-help groups, farmer-producer organizations and seafood enterprises can participate in such activities. Consumer studies have also shown interest in value-added fish products, with taste, price and perceived health benefits influencing purchasing decisions (Tanuja et al., 2020).
Quality and food safety
Important quality parameters include proximate composition, pH, colour, texture, gel strength, water-holding capacity, lipid oxidation, microbial quality and sensory acceptability. Packaging is equally im-portant for maintaining product quality during storage. Vacuum packaging has been investigated for improving the refrigerated storage stability of shrimp analogue products (Priyadarshini et al., 2022) [9] . Food safety and correct species identification are critical because processed seafood products can be vulnerable to species mislabelling. DNA barcoding and metabarcoding have been used to authenticate species in surimi-based products (Zhang et al., 2024; Detcharoen et al., 2024) [11,10] . Commercial products should therefore comply with applicable FSSAI standards for fish and fish products.
Sustainability and future prospects
Utilization of low-cost fish can contribute to better use of fisheries resources and reduce avoidable post-harvest losses. Processing trimmings and edible portions that have limited fresh-market value can also support circular approaches to seafood production. FAO (2024) [12] emphasizes improved resource efficiency and value creation within sustainable aquatic food systems. Future research should focus on reduced-water surimi processing, natural antioxidants, hydrocolloids, improved packaging, low-sodium formulations, rapid species authentication and advanced processing technologies. Artificial intelligence and machine vision may also support automated quality assessment and process control.
Conclusion
Low-cost and underutilized fish have considerable potential for development of value-added fish analogues. Surimi technology provides a practical platform for producing imitation crab sticks, fish balls, sausages, nuggets and other restructured seafood products. Proper selection of raw material, washing, dewatering, formulation, heating, packaging and quality control are essential for successful product development. Value addition can improve the utilization and economic potential of low-cost fish while supporting employment, entrepreneurship and sustainable fisheries resource management.
References
- Shyam SS et al. Valuation of marine fish landings in India. Marine Fisheries Information Service. 2018;237:13-16.
- Parvathy U, Binsi PK, Ashok Kumar K, Ravishankar CN. Seafood value addition: Current trends and future prospects. Indian Farming. 2020;70(11):38-40.
- Somjid P, Panpipat W, Cheong LZ, Chaijan M. Reduced washing cycle for sustainable mackerel surimi production. Foods. 2021;10:2717.
- Gore SB, Balange AK, Nayak BB et al. Comparative analysis of unwashed and single washed mince gel from Indian major carps. Journal of Food Science and Technology. 2022;59:377-387.
- Bagonoc RR C, Yoo MJ Y. Effects of formulation and processing techniques on physicochemical properties of surimi gel. Food Life. 2021;2021(2):35-46.
- Xie D et al. Various factors affecting the gel properties of surimi: A review. Journal of Texture Studies. 2024;55:e12847.
- Yang Y, Gao Y, He Y et al. Factors influencing surimi gelling properties and natural additive-based gel fortification strategies: A review. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 2025;24:e70067.
- Detcharoen M et al. Metabarcoding for authentication of fish species in surimi-based products by Nanopore sequencing. Food Bioscience. 2024;61:104628. International Journal of Agriculture and Food Science https://www.agriculturaljournals.com 26648458, 2026, 8(10), Downloaded from https://www.doi.org/10.33545/2664844X.2026.v8.i10a.1993 by International Journal of Agriculture and Food Science on [01/10/2026]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://www.agriculturaljournals.com) for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
- Zhang X et al. Molecular authentication of surimi-based products using DNA barcoding and metabarcoding. Food Control. 2024;155:110110. 12. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024: Blue Transformation in Action.
- FAO, Rome; 2024. How to cite this article: Syed Saidoddin SH, Patel SKM, Salunke NM. Valorization of low-value fish for sustainable and innovative seafood product development. International Journal of Agriculture and Food Science. 2026;8(10):01-03. doi: https:// www.doi.org/10.33545/2664844X.2026.v8.i10a.1993 International Journal of Agriculture and Food Science https://www.agriculturaljournals.com 26648458, 2026, 8(10), Downloaded from https://www.doi.org/10.33545/2664844X.2026.v8.i10a.1993 by International Journal of Agriculture and Food Science on [01/10/2026]. See the Terms and Conditions (https://www.agriculturaljournals.com) for rules of use; OA articles are governed by the applicable Creative Commons License
How this paper connects to the literature. Drag to explore, click any node to open that paper.