Joint FAO/WHO literature review: histamine in salmonids
2018
Histamine is a naturally occurring substance that is derived from the decarboxylation of amino acids. It can be present in certain foods containing free histidine. Certain bacteria produce the enzyme histidine decarboxylase during growth. This enzyme reacts with free histidine, a naturally occurring amino acid that is present in higher proportions in certain species of fish, particularly those of the Scombridae and Scomberesocidae families. The result is the formation of histamine. Histamine poisoning is often referred to as scombrotoxin fish poisoning (SFP) because of the frequent association of the illness with the consumption of spoiled scombroid fish. SFP is most commonly linked to fish that have a high level of free histidine. Histamine formation is then dependent on the time/temperature conditions under which the fish is handled. Even in fish with high levels of free histidine, the available data suggest that high histamine levels are as a result of gross time/temperature abuse during handling and storage. Compared with scombroid fish, which have free histidine levels ranging from approximately 5 000 mg/kg to 20 000 mg/kg, most species in the Salmonidae family have less than 1000 mg/kg histidine. Nevertheless some concerns have been raised about the potential risk of SPF or SPF-like illness linked to Salmonidae, considering these fish are globally traded with 80% of global production entering international trade. This report describes the methods and findings of a comprehensive literature review undertaken to assess the scientific evidence regarding the risk of histamine development in fish of the family Salmonidae and the potential impact for human health.
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