Valorizing fishery by-products into sustainable low-salt fish sauces and powders: Nutritional, microbial, and safety properties

• Low-salt non-fermented sauces safely valorize fish by-products • Non-fermented fish sauces show high nutritional density • Powdered fish sauce showed good microbial and oxidative stability • Fermented and non-fermented sauces are safe and high-quality • Non-fermented sauces offer low-salt alternatives to traditional fish sauces Seafood processing generates nearly 25% by-products, emphasizing the importance of their valorization into sustainable, high-value food ingredients. Fish-sauce, one of the oldest fermented seafood products, offers strong nutritional potential but faces challenges like high salt content, intense odor, and biogenic amine accumulation. This study developed and characterized non-fermented low-salt fish sauces (liquid and powder forms) produced from Motu-fish (LSM) and fish processing waste (LSW), and compared their physicochemical, microbial, and safety parameters with those of traditional fermented sauces (Mahyaveh and Thai). Non-fermented samples, particularly LSW, exhibited higher nutritional-density (higher protein, fat, fiber, and energy), and lower salt and ash contents than fermented products ( p < 0.05). pH-values ranged from 5.20 (LSW) to 6.01 (Thai) ( p < 0.05). Although TBARS-values were higher in non-fermented sauces, all were