Recent advances in the color of aquatic products: Evaluation methods, discoloration mechanism, and protection technologies.

[Display omitted] • Outlines the mechanisms of natural color formation in aquatic products. • Summarises the discoloration mechanisms of aquatic products during storage. • Recapitulates the comprehensive factors that affect the color of aquatic products. • Discusses current cutting-edge technology in color preservation of aquatic products. • Recommends the development of high-quality prefabricated aquatic products. Color plays a pivotal role in guiding and assessing the industrial production of aquatic products due to the swift sensory perception of information through vision. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the following four aspects: (a) mechanisms governing natural color formation in aquatic products, (b) factors and mechanisms contributing to the discoloration of aquatic products, (c) cutting-edge methods for color analysis and detection, and (d) current valuable techniques for preserving color quality. The natural color of aquatic products is derived from skin chromatophores, endogenous pigment proteins, and astaxanthin. Discoloration of aquatic products can occur due to lipid oxidation, as well as enzymatic and non-enzymatic browning. Furthermore, this review examines frontier color protective technologies, encompassing physical methods like ultra-high pressure, irradiation, and low-temperature plasma, as well as chemical methods involving natural preservatives. The findings of this study offer significant insights into the development of high-quality aquatic products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]