Determination of Histamine in Japanese Spanish Mackerel (Scomberomorus niphonius) Meat Implicated in a Foodborne Poisoning

Abstract

An incident of foodborne poisoning causing illness in seven victims due to ingestion of fried Japanese Spanish mackerel (JS mackerel; Scomberomorus niphonius) meat occurred in September 2014 in Hualien County, eastern Taiwan. Of the two suspected fish meats, one raw sample contained 3,318 ppm of histamine and one fried sample contained 1,906 ppm of histamine, levels which are greater than the potential hazard action level (500 ppm) in most illness cases. Given the allergy-like symptoms of the victims and the high histamine content in the suspected fish samples, this foodborne poisoning was strongly suspected to be caused by histamine intoxication. In addition, five histamine-producing bacterial strains isolated from suspected raw fish samples, capable of producing 152 to 1,020 ppm of histamine in Trypticase soy broth supplemented with 1.0% l-histidine, were identified as Hafnia alvei (one strain), Enterobacter aerogenes (two strains), Raoultella ornithinolytica (one strain), and Morganella morganii (one strain) by 16S rDNA sequencing with PCR amplification. Moreover, 12 raw fish samples and 39 fried fish samples from retail stores were collected and tested to determine the occurrence of histamine. Two of 12 commercial raw fish samples (16.7%) had histamine levels greater than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration guideline for decomposition of 50 ppm for scombroid fish or product or a combination of both. To our knowledge, this is the first report in Taiwan to demonstrate that the JS mackerel meat products could cause histamine intoxication.