Technological approaches for commercial production of functional food through fish farming: Opportunities and challenges

Abstract

Functional foods and nutraceuticals have gained attention as a result of the emergence of several human health disorders, including abdominal, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and neurodegeneration. The components of functional foods influence the physiological system, which enhances human health and fights against illness.  The global consumption of fish and fish products has increased in recent years, driven by the presence of omega-3 fatty acids, oligosaccharides, glucosamine, vitamins A, D, and E, as well as minerals such as magnesium, potassium, copper, sulfur, zinc, iodine, and proteins. It is widely acknowledged that functional food ingredients are important for promoting health, lowering the risk of disease, and lowering medical expenses. Fish farming has emerged as a source of novel functional ingredients from marine resources for functional food as well as for therapeutics. The review paper will also cover various technological approaches such as CRISPR-Cas9 mediated gene editing, zinc finger nucleases, and TALENs for enhanced production of bioactive compounds from genetically modified fishes for commercial production of functional food as well as nutraceuticals. 

Keywords: Fish farming, Zinc finger nuclease, CRISPR/Cas9, Functional food, Nutraceuticals, Omega-3 fatty acids