Use of Ozone to Reduce the Proportion of Mesophilic and Psychrotrophic Bacteria Among Aquatic Organisms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria are agents of spoilage in aquatic organisms. Aquaculture aims to provide safe and nutritious foods from microbiological, physico–chemical, and sensory perspectives. Ozone (O₃) is a gas used as an efficient antimicrobial agent for inactivating microorganisms in various foods. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether O₃ is effective in reducing or eliminating mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria in fish and seafood. To this end, a systematic review was performed to evaluate the data obtained from published primary studies. Articles were retrieved from the PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and SciELO databases, and papers published between 2002 and 2024 were considered. A total of 1415 studies were identified, 11 of which met all eligibility criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. The results indicated that O₃ reduced mesophilic and psychrotrophic bacteria counts by 0.31 log CFU g⁻¹ in fish and seafood. Significant heterogeneity persisted in the data set even after separation into subgroups, indicating that the studies were significantly diverse in terms of methodology. Therefore, the data obtained in this meta-analysis indicates low inactivation of the microorganisms studied using O₃. However, more research into the O₃ treatment of aquatic organisms should be encouraged, since the included studies had methodological variations in the forms of O₃ used, and investigated species, since all species have their own specificities.