Archives of Hellenic Medicine

Last update:

21-Apr-2019

Arch Hellen Med, 37(3), May-June 2019, 419-425

SPECIAL ARTICLE

Biogenic amines in food as a public health concern
An outline of histamine food poisoning

E. Chaidoutis,¹ A. Migdanis,² D. Keramydas,³ P. Papalexis⁴
¹Hellenic Food Authority (EFET), Athens
²Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Larissa
³School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens
⁴Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of West Attica, Athens, Greece

Food-borne diseases have an important impact on public health. In recent years, epidemiological recording of diseases is ongoing, but more data are required for the assessment of food poisoning from biogenic amines. This article presents an outline of the consequences of biogenic amines in food, with an emphasis on histamine food poisoning and the foods which are most likely to pose a health risk from biogenic amines in high levels. Scombroid food poisoning (SFP) is a global food safety problem. Histamine intoxication is the form of food poisoning which is the most toxic and the most frequently observed. The toxic effects of food-borne histamine can present with a variety of symptoms, including anaphylaxis, irritation and nausea. The current legal limits for food content are presented, along with the preventive measures that businesses should take for the avoidance of accumulation of biogenic amines in foods at levels unsafe for consumer health.

Key words: Biogenic amines, Food-borne intoxication, Food-borne outbreaks, Food safety, Histamine, Public health, Scombroid food poisoning (SFP), Toxicological effects.