To: Seafood HACCP Mailing List
I'm posting the following response from Walter F. Struszkiewicz (U.S. Food
and Drug Administration) and including links to histamine references.
Pamela Tom
Univeristy of California
Sea Grant Extension Program
===========================================================================
"Consumer illness from the ingestion of decomposed and scombrotoxic fish
remains a major public health problem. Most of the unsafe fish are
received as imported products. There has been a long standing problem of
inadequate attention given to preventing bacterial decomposition at the
point of harvest which results in the production of irreversible unsafe
chemical changes in fish.
"The progression of bacterial decomposition which leads to the formation
of histamine and other biogenic amines begins in the anterior end of a
fish and the highest concentrations of the amines are usually found in the
lower anterior region. These changes are not always accompanied by
obvious odors of decomposition within the muscle. It is necessary to
sample the tissue at the anterior end cutting through the transverse
section (backbone to belly) to have a high degree of reliability in
assessing the safety of the fish. The sample location rather than the
amount of tissue is the important factor. Our publication in the January
2004 issue of the J of Food Protection* documents the rapid formation of
biogenic amines in susceptible fish.
"The reality is that fish are harvested, delivered, transported and
offered for sale in the U.S. that contain high concentrations of histamine
due to bacterial decomposition. These shipments of fish usually consist
of a mixture of very good quality fish commingled with decomposed and
unsafe fish. They may be accompanied by "certificates" alleging an
absence of histamine or decomposition. Our laboratories have identified
scombrotoxic levels of histamine in such shipments and we have had
numerous reports of consumer illness from scombrotoxic fish delivered at
the retail level.
"Until a valid control mechanism is established from the point of harvest
at sea through the delivery of fish, chemical analysis will remain the
only reliable test of safety for scombroid-type fish. "Certificates" and
good intentions will not suffice as substitutes."
Walter Staruszkiewicz
Research Chemist
FDA
Laurel, MD
*Journal of Food Protection: Vol. 67, No. 1, pp. 134141. Effects of
On-Board and Dockside Handling on the Formation of Biogenic Amines in
Mahimahi (Coryphaena hippurus), Skipjack Tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), and
Yellowfin Tuna (Thunnus albacares) WALTER F. STARUSZKIEWICZ, JAMES D.
BARNETT, PATRICIA L. ROGERS, RONALD A. BENNER, JR., LYNN L. WONG, and JOHN
COOK
SeafoodNIC Histamine Links:
http://seafood.ucdavis.edu/organize/histaminetoxin.htm
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Pamela Tom [mailto:pdtom@ucdavis.edu]
> Sent: Saturday, October 30, 2004 1:21 AM
> To: Seafood HACCP Mailing List
> Subject: Histamine sampling of tuna question
>
> To: Seafood HACCP Mailing List
>
> A subscriber to this list asked me to post this message. If you have
> information, would you either share via the listserv for open discussion
> or with me privately (pdtom@ucdavis.edu)?
>
> "During my visit to Ecuador a question came up about sampling for
> histamine in tuna. The firm packs headed and gutted tuna (high quality)
> for the US fresh market - Miami Seafood market and NY Fulton Seafood
> market. They air freight everyday. After an FDA inspection they were
> told to sample each fish for histamine by removing at least 50 grams of
> flesh near the neck line fins (instead of the previous tail location).
>
> This type of sampling will destroy the esthetic quality of the fish and
> make it unsaleable in this particular market. How is this matter is being
> handled by other sellers of this product?"
>
> Pamela Tom
> University of California
> Sea Grant Extension Program
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