In the face of global challenges such as climate change, population growth, and resource depletion, “Blue Transformation” and “Blue Food” are increasingly seen as essential strategies for achieving sustainable development. In 2021, aquatic protein contributed approximately 16 % of the world's animal protein intake, providing over 3.3 billion people with at least 20 % of their average per capita animal protein consumption (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2022). In the same year, the total production of aquatic animals from fisheries and aquaculture reached 182 million tons, exceeding the previous record high of 2018 by over 3 million tons, marking a 2.7 % increase compared to 2020 (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2024). However, aquatic products are highly perishable during storage, resulting in both nutritional and economic losses. This highlights the importance of aquatic product preservation for economic implications and sustainability benefits.

The primary factor contributing to spoilage and deterioration during the storage of aquatic products is microbial contamination. Therefore, proper handling and preservation methods are crucial to minimizing the risk of microbiological contamination in aquatic products (Yang, Chu, et al., 2023; Yang, Yan, & Xie, 2023). Traditional preservation methods, such as salting, smoking, and dehydration, have been employed to extend shelf life and maintain product quality (Sireesha et al., 2022). While these methods offer certain benefits, they also come with limitations, such as nutrient loss, textural changes, and environmental concerns. For instance, salting is a cost-effective method with good antimicrobial properties, but it can act as a pro-oxidant, promoting lipid oxidation and leading to undesirable flavors (Mariutti & Bragagnolo, 2017). Smoking, while effective for products preservation, can produce harmful substances like benzopyrene (Rabiepour et al., 2024). Dehydration, though reducing transportation costs and extending shelf life, can result in nutrient loss and alter the texture and flavor of rehydrated products compared to fresh counterparts (Padmanaban et al., 2024). Moreover, although chilling and freezing technologies have become more widely adopted, they are associated with high energy consumption and environmental impacts. Additionally, microbial spoilage remains a challenge even at low temperatures.

In summary, traditional preservation methods present limitations, including nutrient loss, changes in sensory properties, and the potential formation of harmful compounds. As consumer demand for fresher, safer, and higher-quality food grows, the food industry has shifted its focus towards novel non-thermal preservation techniques, such as high-pressure processing (HPP), pulsed electric field (PEF), cold plasma (CP), and ultrasound (US). Compared to traditional preservation methods, these novel techniques offer several advantages (Bigi et al., 2023). They can effectively inactivate microorganisms while preserving the nutritional qualities of aquatic products, and they are environmentally friendly. Furthermore, their potential scalability makes them suitable for industrial applications, and they extend shelf life without relying on chemical additives, aligning with consumer preferences for cleaner-label products. In recent years, these novel technologies have been applied to various aquatic species, including grass carp (Zhu et al., 2024), sea bass (Tsironi et al., 2019), abalone (Luo et al., 2019), blood clam (Palamae, Patil, et al., 2024), red shrimp (Hu et al., 2023), hairy crabs (Wu & Yang, 2023), and oyster (Ma et al., 2023). These novel technologies offer an effective means to preserve food quality and extend shelf life without compromising safety. Additionally, while other emerging technologies such as ozone treatment and irradiation have been explored for aquatic product preservation, they have obvious limitations. Irradiation and ozone often raise consumer concerns about food safety and may result in the loss of certain nutrients and flavors (Andoni et al., 2021; Bigi et al., 2023). Therefore, when selecting preservation technologies for aquatic products, emerging non-thermal techniques such as HPP, PEF, CP, and US provide clear advantages.

In recent years, there has been a growing consumer demand for minimally processed, clean-label, high-quality, and sustainable products. Market Data Forecast predicts global sales of clean-label ingredients will rise from $38.8 billion in 2021 to $64.1 billion in 2026, reflecting a strong consumer preference for minimally processed and clean-label foods. Additionally, an International Food Information Council survey found that 64 % of consumers in the United States actively choose foods with clean ingredients (Brewster, 2021). Therefore, the value of these novel preservation methods lies in addressing the limitations of traditional techniques while meeting consumer expectations. These novel technologies have the potential to revolutionize aquatic product preservation, ensuring safe, nutritious, and high-quality food for consumers. Several reviews have explored the application of non-thermal preservation techniques in the seafood industry (Rathod et al., 2021, Romulo, 2021, Ronholm, Lau and Banerjee, 2016, Sireesha, Gowda and Kambhampati, 2022, Zhang, Zhang, Yang and Zhao, 2022). However, most have focused primarily on individual technologies without offering a comprehensive comparison of their microbial inactivation mechanisms, scalability, and regulatory considerations. Therefore, this review provides a comprehensive examination of the principles, applications, and recent advancements of HPP, CP, PEF, and US technologies. It also presents a comparative analysis of preservation efficiency, energy consumption, scalability, and the impact on aquatic products.