Abstract: Squids are an important resource for oversea fisheries in China. Immediate freezing of squids after harvest is required. Therefore, frozen squids are the major raw material for all squid products. Low-temperature storage especially frozen storage has been widely used in food preservation. Frozen aquatic products must be thawed before they are processed. However, the process may also cause drip loss and reduced quality. The quality of frozen aquatic products depends not only on freezing methods and temperature and temperature fluctuations, but also on subsequent thawing methods. This review article discusses many physical and chemical changes including moisture content, protein denaturation and oxidation, lipid oxidation, color and pH and microbial changes including specific spoilage organisms during low-temperature storage and thawing of squids, in order to provide valuable information on improving squid storage process.

Key words: squid, low-temperature storage, thawing, quality, deterioration