Fresh, cooked and prepared fish and seafood, subjected to high pressure keep their freshness, as well as achieving a better return and a longer life. Due to the fact that high pressure acts uniformly over the entire product, it maintains both the integrity and the initial volume, and the results obtained are homogeneous. The product may be skin-, MAP- or vacuum-packed and the materials used must be flexible to allow for compression during processing (e.g., bags, trays, tubs) Currently, products such as oysters, clams, mussels, lobsters, crabs, prawns, unsalted cod, hake and ready-to-eat fish dishes are industrially processed using high pressure. High pressure of seafood is mainly applied to extract the meat of crustaceans and molluscs, and sanitise products which have been handled prior to packaging. The high pressure maintains the fresh flavour characteristic of seafood and the organoleptic and functional properties attributed to them. This technology enables the shelf life to be 2 to 4 times longer, increasing the safety of the food. Crustaceans

• High pressure is the only method which enables the extraction of raw shellfish from their shells.
• Extraction of meat from the smallest parts of the product (legs and antennae)allows obtaining sub-products making it profitable
• A higher yield is achieved (20-50% more meat)
• Savings in time and labour costs
• Post-pressurisation appearance, fresh flavour and texture are positively evaluated
• Extended shelf life
• Sales of value-added and innovative products (e.g., shelled raw seafood)

Molluscs

• Easy opening of the shell
• Optimum yield from the extraction
• Savings in time and labour costs
• Extended shelf life and fresh flavour

High pressure is also used for sanitising marine products, in particular through the inactivation of the bacteria Vibrio (e.g., in oysters). Other microorganisms characteristic of seafood, such as Salmonella, Campylobacter, Anisakis, Listeria and E. coli, are also inactivated by high pressure. Therefore, the formation of amines is inhibited, favouring the sensory qualities and shelf life under refrigerated conditions.