Histamine, as a biomarker of freshness in Barred mackerel (Scomberomorus commerrson)

Scombroid syndrome is one of the most important food poisoning with symptoms similar to seafood allergy, that caused by biogenic amines. Histamine is produced by decarboxylation of the amino acid histidine in fish, by histidine decarboxylase enzyme. The histamine levels in fish and its products is one of the most important biomarkers to assess the freshness or corruption of the fish. One of objectives of this study was determination of histamine levels in Barred mackerel (Scomberomorus commerrson), by HPLC method, in different conditions of keeping.
Material and There were evaluated the histamine contents, in 21 Barred mackerel samples trapped in the Bushehr coasts (Iran), after TCA extraction method, at different periods of the first, tenth (keeping at 4°C) and 30th days (keeping at -20 °C) by HPLC with FLD detector in wavelengths λx: 320 and λe: 450 nm.
The Mean ± SD of histamine in samples in revealed days were respectively the values of 12.96±0.29, 17.02±0.53 and 17.7±0.56 ppm. The highest levels of histamine in all samples in first, tenth and thirty days were respectively, ND, 2.77 and 7.77 ppm; and maximum levels were respectively 40.86, 40.75 and 40.07 ppm.
Although the detection of histamine in 90% of samples, there was no sample above maximum Tolerable level (MTL) assigned by Institute of Standard and Industrial Research of Iran (50 ppm). However, the histamine levels in 27.87% of samples were exceeded the maximum levels set in the FDA (20ppm).