Sargassum fusiforme is an abundant source of biologically active compounds that are released during fermentation. However, the effects of Lactobacillus fermentation on the nutrient composition of S. fusiforme have yet to be sufficiently determined. In this study, we used five strains of Lactobacillus to ferment S. fusiforme and examined changes in the bioactive components, volatile compounds, and bioactivities of the fermentation supernatants. Among the assessed strains, fermentation with Lactobacillus delbrueckii promoted significant increases in the total phenolic contents, and fermentation with all strains contributed to reductions in the levels of undesirable volatile compounds associated with the characteristic odor of S. fusiforme. In addition, S. fusiforme fermented using L. delbrueckii showed superior ABTS radical scavenging activity, whereas S. fusiforme fermented using L. plantarum FY03 (PF-3) or L. plantarum FY02 (PF-2) showed enhanced DPPH radical scavenging capacity, and fermentation using L. rhamnosus promoted the highest ferric-ion-reducing power. Moreover, the inhibition of α-glucosidase activity increased by 2.0- to 3.0-fold in fermented S. fusiforme, whereas the inhibition of α-amylase activity was only significantly augmented by the PF-2 and PF-3 strains. These findings highlight the potential health benefits of Lactobacillus-fermented S. fusiforme, particularly the enhanced antioxidant activities and the capacity to inhibit α-glucosidase and α-amylase activities.

Sous-vide (SV) cooking—a technique combining vacuum packaging with precise low-temperature heating—has emerged as a promising mild processing method for aquatic products, yet existing studies remain fragmented across species and lack systematic comparisons of processing parameters and quality regulation mechanisms. This review systematically examines SV applications across four major aquatic taxa (fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and echinoderms), comparing optimal processing parameters and inter-category differences. Optimal SV core-temperature windows differ markedly across taxa—fish (48–85 ℃), crustaceans (70–85 ℃), mollusks (45–75 ℃), and echinoderms such as sea cucumber (95 ℃)—reflecting differences in muscle structure and endogenous enzyme activity. The mechanisms by which SV regulates physical properties, nutritional quality, flavor formation, and microbial safety of aquatic products are comprehensively elucidated. Recent advances in combining SV with natural antimicrobial agents and non-thermal technologies are reviewed, demonstrating enhanced pathogen inactivation and shelf-life extension. Key bottlenecks to industrial adoption are identified—microbial safety risks, limited process standardization, and lack of characteristic roasted flavor—and multi-technology synergy and specialized process databases are proposed. This review provides a reference for advancing fundamental research and industrial application of SV technology in aquatic food processing.