Histamine presence in food and consumer sensitivity

Histamine and other biogenic amines can be found in many foods at different concentrations. Their presence generally modifies the organoleptic characteristics of food products, and sometimes they cause dangerous effects on consumers. The scombroid syndrome is an allergic-like intoxication due to the consumption of fish belonging to the Scombridae family (i.e., tuna, bonito, and mackerel) but also other species such as mahi-mahi (dolphin fish), sea urchins, herring, sardines, anchovies, and bluefish which are contaminated with histamine resulting from histidine microbial decarboxylation. It is one of the most common fish poisoning worldwide, even if many clinical cases are not reported since the symptoms may last for a short time. Moreover, the effects on consumers can vary based on some specific aspects like the amount of histamine ingested, the metabolic deficiency of diamino oxidases, the exposure to pharmacologically active substances inhibiting mono-amino oxidases, and concomitant diseases involving a higher sensitivity of consumers. The objective of this chapter is the description of the main sources of histamine in food and the analytical methods for its detection. Moreover, the number of scombroid poisoning outbreaks occurred in Europe in the last years, as well as the notifications of histamine presence in food reported by the Rapid Alert System for food and feed are also defined.