The introduction of fish skin as a biological dressing for treating burns and wounds holds great
promise, offering an alternative to existing management strategies. However, the risk of disease
transmission is a significant concern. Therefore, this study aimed to examine how established
sterilization and preservation procedures affected fish skin grafts’ microbiological and histological
properties for long‑term usage. Lyophilization of the fish skin graft followed by rehydration in
normal saline for 15 min did not change the collagen content. Furthermore, gamma irradiation of
the lyophilized fish skin graft at different lengths 5, 10, and 25 KGy showed a significant reduction in
microbial growth (aerobic bacteria, aerobic yeasts, and fungi) at 15‑ and 30 days after the irradiation.
However, exposure to 10 KGy was found to be the most effective intensity among the different
gamma irradiation lengths since it preserved the collagen fiber content and intensity in the lyophilized
fish skin grafts at 15‑ and 30 days after the irradiation. These findings provide efficient preservation
and sterilization methods for long‑term usage of the fresh Tilapia skin grafts used for biological
dressings.