About histamine
Measure the freshness (K value), quality and safety of fish and meat
About histamine
When fish is no longer fresh, it can easily cause food poisoning. This may appear as a skin rash, which is caused by histamine present in the decaying fish. Histamine is produced when the amino acid histidine is broken down during the process of bacterial decay. Red-fleshed fish such as mackerel, sardines, bonito and tuna are common sources of histamine poisoning because they contain large amounts of histidine.
The Histamine Problem
Histamine is not destroyed by heat, even cooking, so in the past many people have suffered from food poisoning as a result of eating insufficiently preserved fish. Until now, there has been no method of measuring histamine accurately and simply in the marketplace. HACCP* regulations state a threshold limit for histamine content of imported fish.
* HACCP = Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point
Some possible harmful effects from eating insufficiently preserved and prepared seafood
| Biological harm |
[Pathological bacteria] Vibrio spp., Escherichia coli [Bacteria causing decay] food breakdown, including release of amines, which are the cause of distinctive smells of decay [Viruses] Norovirus, Hepatitis A virus, etc. [Parasites] Anisakis, Kudoa septempunctata |
|---|---|
| Chemical harm |
[Biological sources] shellfish poison, tetrodotoxin, Ciguatera (dinoflagellate) poison, heavy metals, histamine, etc. [Physical harm] pieces of broken glass, metal, wood, thread, etc. |
| Production of Histamine | pieces of broken glass, metal, wood, thread, etc. |
Production of Histamine
About histidine
Histidine is one of the twenty different kinds of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins in all living things. It is an essential amino acid, which means it cannot be manufactured in the human body, so we must obtain it from our food. Histamine is produced when the amino acid histidine is broken down by micro-organisms during the process of decay. Red-fleshed fish such as mackerel, sardines, bonito and tuna are common sources of histamine poisoning because they contain large amounts of histidine.
