Re: Frozen production of Histamine

From: PDIONPDA@aol.com
Date: Thu Feb 14 2008 - 15:33:09 PST

  • Next message: Brendan McHugh: "Re: Frozen production of Histamine"

     
    James,
     
    Thank you for interjecting this VERY important piece of information
    regarding histamine formation; "Please keep in mind the enzymatic aspect: If there
    was time/temperature abuse onboard the vessel (even though cold storage
    temperatures will prevent additional formation of histamine)".
     
    Long standing times in the seine in warm surface water temps or overload of
    refrigeration systems on small boat operations would be the cause of
    histamine formation. Cold storage after the boat has caught up with the catch will
    not erase the initial thermal abuse.
     
    Regards,
     
    Paul Dion
    Paul Dion Associates, Inc.
    Plymouth, MA
    USA
     
    In a message dated 2/14/2008 1:25:13 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
    james.hungerford@fda.hhs.gov writes:

    Yes those are the facts regarding frozen storage for that study, but I want
    to point out here that there are some cases where the histamine levels can go
    up much faster than the 36 hr period mentioned in that abstract.
     
    Please keep in mind the enzymatic aspect: If there was time/temperature
    abuse onboard the vessel (even though cold storage temperatures will prevent
    additional formation of histamine) as soon as the product is thawed, (say in a
    restaurant or retail setting) the preformed histidine decarboxylase already in
    the fish can produce high histamine levels in the consumed product. This has
    certainly figured in illnesses in restaurants, for example, and we also see
    the effect in the lab - portions for a later confirmatory analysis for
    histamine are best stored in smaller masses so they can be thawed and analyzed
    rapidly before more histamine generated.
     
    I understand that the current discussion is focused more on storage
    conditions but I point this out so that we keep in mind what can happen "from boat
    to plate"
    James Hungerford, Ph.D.
    Chair of AOAC Task Force and GR, Marine and Freshwater Toxins,
    Research Chemist
    FDA, ORA, ATC
    22201 23rd Dr SE
    Bothell, WA 98021
    USA
    Phone 425-483-4894
    FAX 425-483-4996
    James.Hungerford@fda.hhs.gov

     
    ____________________________________
     From: owner-seafood@ucdavis.edu [mailto:owner-seafood@ucdavis.edu] On
    Behalf Of AJ Simpson
    Sent: Wednesday, February 13, 2008 8:47 PM
    To: Brendan McHugh
    Cc: Sanchez, Sergio; seafood@ucdavis.edu
    Subject: Re: Frozen production of Histamine

    Dear List Members,

    A good question and important points raised in response. Mr McHughs' comment
    is critical " once the uniformity of freezer temperature is assured " The
    scientific validation on frozen storage / histamine formation is appreciated
    and well noted.

    Would like to contribute re: Basic HACCP -

    My understanding of HACCP is that Analysis should be performed on site for
    the prevalent conditions on that site by the on site HACCP team for the
    species, process and location including specific Hazards in the guide. This
    includes consideration for distribution to end user. This would in effect mean
    that no hard and fast rules can be applied universally.

    This issue has been raised by USFDA during an actual audit and should be by
    all auditors during audit of plant HACCP. Page 98 in the guide refers to "
    control strategy examples".

    Other considerations include :-

        * Is the risk reasonably likely to occur ?
        * Can the risk be adequately controlled ? (Equipment capacity under all
     loading conditions, maintenance programs, back up generators /
    compressors.....)
        * Are calibrated cold store TTR's used in appropriate locations to
    assure monitoring with effective hold/recall procedures in place for deviations
    ? (in practice have found manual readings unreliable, this would be
    critical also in refrigerated storage after testing prior to freezing. Deviations
    assessed by T&T abuse per case).
        * Is verification appropriate, effective and reviewed within an
    appropriate period ?
        * Assurance of lab testing procedures.....
        * Is validation reassessed at least annually ?

    Regards / AJ Simpson
    Shining Sea Foods
    Thailand

    On 14/02/2008, Brendan McHugh <_criticalcontrolpoints@yahoo.com_
    (mailto:criticalcontrolpoints@yahoo.com) > wrote:
    Based on the abstract copied below, it would seem that Histamine production
    is stopped by frozen storage so it would not be necessary to conduct
    Histamine tests on frozen product once they have been tested and once the uniformity
    of freezer temperature is assured

    English Title: Histamine production by Enterobacter aerogenes in sailfish
    and milkfish at various storage temperatures.
    Personal Authors: Tsai YungHsiang, Chang ShiouChung, Kung HsienFeng, Wei, C.
    I., Hwang DengFwu
    Author Affiliation: Department of Food Science and Technology, Tajen
    Institute of Technology, Pingtung, Taiwan.
    Editors: No editors
    Document Title: Journal of Food Protection, 2005 (Vol. 68) (No. 8)
    1690-1695

    Abstract:
    Enterobacter aerogenes was studied for its growth and ability to promote the
    formation of total volatile base nitrogen (TVBN) and histamine in sailfish
    (Istiophorus platypterus) and milkfish (Chanos chanos) stored at various
    temperatures from -20 to 37°C. The optimal temperature for bacterial growth in
    both fish species was 25°C, whereas the optimal temperature for histamine
    formation was 37°C. The two fish species inoculated with E. aerogenes, when not
    properly stored at low temperatures such as 15°C for 36 h, formed histamine at
    above the U.S. Food and Drug Administration hazardous guideline level of 50
    mg/100 g. Milkfish was a better substrate than sailfish for histamine formation
    by bacterial histidine decarboxylation at elevated temperatures (>15°C).
    Although higher contents of TVBN were detected in the spiked sailfish than
    milkfish during the same storage time at temperatures above 15°C, the use of the
    30-mg/100 g level of TVBN as a determination index for fish quality and
    decomposition was not a good criterion for assessing potential histamine hazard
    for both fish species. Bacterial growth was controlled by cold storage of the
    fish at 4°C or below, but histamine formation was stopped only by frozen
    storage. Once the frozen fish samples were thawed and stored at 25°C, histamine
    started to accumulate rapidly and reached levels greater than the hazardous
    action level in 36 h.

    Publisher: International Association for Food Protection

    "Sanchez, Sergio" <_Sergio.Sanchez@inspectorate.com_
    (mailto:Sergio.Sanchez@inspectorate.com) > wrote:
    Anne,

    You should continue performing the histamine testing every quarter. Even
    with frozen product, temperature variances inside the cold storage could
    trigger the production of biogenic amines (e.g., histamine). For the actual test,
    you need 250g for the HPLC method and 150g for the ELISA method.

    Representative sampling information should be done in accordance with the
    FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius standards
    (_http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/standard_list.jsp_ (http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/standard_list.jsp) ).
    For example, CODEX Standard 70 - Sampling Plans for Prepackaged Foods (1969)
    (AQL-6.5) (Ref. CAC/RM 42-1977).

    Regards,
    Sergio Sanchez
    Inspectorate America Corp.

    ________________________________

    From: _owner-seafood@ucdavis.edu_ (mailto:owner-seafood@ucdavis.edu) on
    behalf of Anne Espedal
    Sent: Wed 2/13/2008 1:50 PM
    To: _seafood@ucdavis.edu_ (mailto:seafood@ucdavis.edu)
    Subject:

    I have a question regarding Albacore tuna histamine testing and HACCP. Page
    98 of Hazards guide says you need to do quarterly histamine testing on a
    representative sample of the raw material. How do you determine what that sample
    amount should be? If you purchase only two months of the year and hold the
    product in cold storage, would you still be expected to continue quarterly
    sampling when you send lots out for production when you have already tested
    those lots?
    thank you
    Anne Espedal
    Bornstein Seafoods
    Astoria, Or

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    Brendan McHugh

    CCP International

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