Bio-based trifunctional integration strategies for aquatic products during frozen storage: Synergistic mechanisms and perspectives

Frozen storage is essential for aquatic logistics, but temperature fluctuations during distribution cause repeated freeze-thaw cycles, leading to ice recrystallization and lipid-protein co-oxidation. This review explains how these cycles damage aquatic products and provides an overview of emerging bio-based cryoprotectants. We propose a proactive trifunctional integration strategy shifting from passive protection to deep molecular functional integration. The core concept is a synergistic feedback loop targeting a coupled deterioration network defined by three kinetic variables: ice growth rate ( V ice ), protein conformational change rate ( V conf ), and oxidative reaction rate ( V ox ). Cascading intervention was achieved through ice-binding crystal regulation, water replacement driven conformational stabilization, and radical scavenging biochemical interception. Finally, by addressing industrial challenges such as sensory degradation, this review envisioned a shift toward intelligent, low-dosage, high-efficiency composite systems. This work contributes to the theoretical groundwork for a sustainable aquatic cryopreservation framework, aiming to balance environmental responsibility with quality control.