Seafood preservation by Hurdle Technology RANJIT BORDOLOI 1 , BIPUL PHUKAN 2 , SANGIPRAN BAISHYA 3 AND MANAS PRATIM DUTTA 4 College of Fisheries, Assam Agricultural University, Raha, Nagaon — 782103, Assam. Corresponding Author Email: 1 branjit86@gmail.com , 3 sangipran@gmail.com Introduction Hurdle technology has been defined by Leistner (2000) as an intelligent combination of hurdles which secures the microbial safety and stability as well as the organoleptic and nutritional quality and the economic viability of food products. Hurdle technology that pathogens in food products can be eliminated or controlled. Each hurdle implies putting microorganisms in a hostile environment, which inhibits their growth or causes their death (Leistner, 2000). Some of those hurdles have been empirically used for years to stabilize meat, fish, milk and vegetables. Examples of hurdles in a food system are high temperature during processing, low temperature during storage, increasing the acidity, lowering the water activity or redox potential, or the presence of preservatives. According to the type of pathogens and how risky they are, the intensity of the hurdles can be adjusted individually to meet consumer preferences in an economical way, without compromising the safety of the product Hurdles in foods The most important hurdles used in food preservation are temperature (high or low), water activity(aw), acidity (pH), redox potential (Eh), preservatives (e.g., nitrite, sorbate, sulfite), and competitive microorganisms (e.g., lactic acid bacteria). However, more than 60 potential hurdles for foods, which improve the stability and/or quality of the products have been already described, and the list of possible hurdles for food preservation is by no means complete(Leistner, 1999a). Some hurdles (e.g., Maillard reaction products) will influence the safety and the quality of foods, because they have antimicrobial properties and at the same time improve the flavor of the products. The same hurdle could have a positive or a negative effect on