A Study on the Determination of Histamine Levels in Herby Cheese

Abstract

Cheese, like other fermented foods, may contain histamine as result of decarboxylation of histidine by microorganisms. Histamine is either psychoactive or vasoactive and may cause problems to some consumers. Histamine, has been implicated as the causative agent in several outbreaks of food poisoning. This study was conducted to determine the histamine contents of Herby cheese marketed in Van area, Turkey. Histamine levels of 47 Herby cheese samples purchased from retail stores were quantified by fluorometric o-phthalaldehyde method. Histamine was found in all samples. Histamine concentration varied from 25.62 to 957.62 mg/kg. Mean was 211.82 +/- 206.74 mg/kg. It can be said that the histamine levels in Herby cheeses of 6.38% examined in this study may be hazardous for public health. In conclusion, histamine formation should be controlled by strict use of good hygiene in both raw material and manufacturing environment, with corresponding inhibition of spoiling microorganisms.