Innovative Processing Approaches for Heavy Metal Detoxification in Seafood

Abstract

Heavy metal contamination of seafood remains a critical challenge for public health and industrial processing. Emerging research demonstrates that post-mortem treatments can reduce toxic elements through distinct mechanistic pathways, including diffusion-driven leaching, ligand-specific chelation, thermal redistribution, and physicochemical separation. This article synthesizes recent evidence to evaluate innovative processing approaches through a mechanistic and technology-oriented lens. Acidified marinades promote proton-mediated desorption and diffusion of arsenic, achieving reductions approaching 90%. Chelation strategies using food-grade ligands such as sodium acetate or combined cysteine–EDTA systems show strong affinity for divalentmetals, removing up to 88.6% of lead, 80% of nickel, and over 90% of mercury. In parallel, advanced green technologies, such as supercritical CO₂ extraction and electrocoagulation, enable 90–98% removal.