Histamine in Fish and Fisheries Products [Chapt. 1]

The consumption of certain fish products containing high levels of histamine (and other biogenic amines) can result in an acute illness with allergy-like symptoms called scombroid syndrome. Fish accumulate toxic levels of histamine when their high level of histidine in muscle tissues is coupled with a proliferation of bacteria rich in the enzyme histidine decarboxylase. Other vasoactive amines— cadaverine, putrescine, etc.—may inhibit detoxification mechanisms that reduce the intestinal absorption of histamine. Moreover, histidine can be transformed by means of another metabolic pathway leading to accumulation in fish muscle of urocanic acid. Recently, interest has been extended to mesophilic and psychrotolerant bacteria. Histamine accumulation is traditionally correlated to microbially contaminated fish and poor storage conditions. In addition, the high thermal stability has to be considered. At present, different methods are available for the analytical determination of histamine ranging from the AOAC fluorometric method to HPLC, ELISA and rapid stick methods.