Abstract
The consumption of fishery products has been steadily increasing in recent decades. Among the quantitatively more important species, the yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), is one of the main at-risk species as regards the possibility to present important levels of histamine and to be associated with the so-called “Scombroid Fish Poisoning”. The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the colorimetric parameters, the occurrence, and the quantification of histamine contamination in yellowfin tuna samples marketed in Sardinia (Italy) by a combination of rapid screening and official control methods. A total of 20 samples of yellowfin tuna loins collected from large retailers, fishmongers and local markets were analyzed for the qualitative and quantitative determination of histamine by the lateral flow test HistaSure™ Fish Rapid Test and LC-MS/MS, respectively. Moreover, all the samples were examined to assess the conformity with the EU rules on labelling and subjected to colorimetric analysis according to the CIE-L*a*b* standard. Visual inspection of yellowfin tuna labels highlighted a 30% of non-compliances. A significant (p < 0.05) difference was reported for brightness (L *), redness (a *), and yellowness (b *). The results of histamine occurrence agreed with the food safety criteria (<100 mg/kg) laid down in EC Regulation 2073/2005 in the 95% and in the 90% of the samples with the rapid screening methods and LC-MS/MS, respectively. A highly significant sessional variation (p < 0.00001) was pointed out. Moreover, the two methods showed an agreement rate of 85%. The results of the present study confirmed the utility of lateral flow tests for the fast qualitative determination of histamine in yellowfin tuna. Rapid screening test should be strengthened by comparison with the official method especially in case of uncertain or positive results.
Highlights
The consumption of fishery products has been steadily increasing in the EuropeanUnion (EU) in recent decades: EU is the largest single market for imported fish and fishery products, representing 34% of total world imports [1]
The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the respect of the food safety criteria for histamine provided by EC Regulation 2073/2005 [22] in yellowfin tuna samples marketed in Sardinia (Italy) by a combination of rapid screening and official control methods
The EU has banned carbon monoxide (CO) treatment in fish: in the treated products, the colour may mask the deterioration associated with potential risk of scombroid syndrome [13] and “suspect” samples for CO should be sampled for histamine
Summary
The consumption of fishery products has been steadily increasing in the EuropeanUnion (EU) in recent decades: EU is the largest single market for imported fish and fishery products, representing 34% of total world imports [1]. CO reacts with the oxy-myoglobin to form Carboxymioglobin, a very stable and oxidation-resistant complex capable of giving muscle tissue a bright cherry red colour for several days This very inviting colour it may not correspond to the real freshness of the fish and may mask bacterial spoilage. In the EU, the EC Regulation 2073/2005 [22] reported the level of histamine in fishery products from fish species presenting high amounts of histidine (Scombridae, Clupeidae, Engraulidae, Coryfenidae, Pomatomidae, Scombresocidae) with acceptable quality (≤100 mg/kg), marginal quality (between 100 and 200 mg/kg) and inacceptable quality (≥200 mg/kg). The main aim of the present study was to evaluate the respect of the food safety criteria for histamine provided by EC Regulation 2073/2005 [22] in yellowfin tuna samples marketed in Sardinia (Italy) by a combination of rapid screening and official control methods. The specific objectives were the following: (a) evaluation of the provisions of the Common Organisation of the Markets of Fishery and Aquaculture Products (CMO) in terms of labelling [36,37]; (b) colorimetric analysis according to the CIE-L*a*b* standard [38]; (c) qualitative determination of histamine by fast-track lateral flow tests (HistaSureTM Fish Rapid Test, LDN, Nordhorn, Germany); (d) quantitative determination of histamine by official control LC-MS/MS method; (e) comparison of the correspondence between the rapid screening methods and the official control methods
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