Determination of histamine in Iranian cheese using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method

Histamine is a simple chemical substance created during processing of the amine acid histidine. Histamine is also an agent in inflammation and the increased presence of histamine causes allergic reaction. Histamine may play a role in the increased prevalence of food intolerances. The objective of this study was to determine histamine contents. Forty four (44) samples of traditional and commercial cheese were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method in Iran. In the two cheese samples of the 44 samples (4.5%), the presence of histamine was 26 and 46.7 mg/100 g. Histamine in any of the cheese samples was not higher than the tolerance limit of histamine contents (50 mg histamine/100 g) accepted by European countries. The values were comparable and in the range of the literature values. The results of this study indicate that the produced cheese and marketed cheese in Iran have concentrations below 50 mg histamine/100 g. Further studies should be done to investigate the presence of this toxin in different foodstuffs.Keywords: Histamine, cheese, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), IranAfrican Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(3), pp. 308-31