A comprehensive review on animal feed, human food and industrial application of lanternfishes; from prototypes to products

Abstract

Fishes of the family Myctophidae, commonly known as lanternfishes or myctophids, are a group of fishes with over 400 species. They are part of a large, underutilized biomass of mesopelagic fish species. Myctophids reserves in the world's oceans have been estimated at 550-600 million tons. The largest lanternfishes reserves exist in the Arabian Sea and the Southern Ocean. Only a few myctophids species being edible (<10 species). They are a good source of proteins, amino acids, lipids, fatty acids, and minerals, which can be utilized in different industries. This review reports the prototypes and products made from myctophids and their properties based on published documents. Furthermore, distribution, biomass estimation, and fishing of myctophids and post-harvest changes and physicochemical properties of myctophids flesh are underlined. Challenges for further development of the myctophids industry and quality management of handling and processing of this resource are also addressed.