Histamine contents in raw long-ripening meat products commercially available in Poland

Abstract

Introduction Many consumers seek long-ripening meat products. The availability of these highly distinctive cured pork varieties is continuously expanding and their safety should be subject to monitoring. One of potentially harmful substances in these products is histamine. The presence of this toxic amine is reported in many countries, even in high concentrations. However, the EU has not regulated the permissible histamine content in meat, in a situation at odds with that of regulated fish and fish products. This study established the usefulness of biogenic amine testing in long-ripening pork and furnished indicative concentrations potential useful as a background for future research in preparation for EU regulative intervention. Material and Methods A total of 97 samples of long-ripening meat products untreated by heat were bought from various shops in the Puławy and Lublin regions of Poland and tested for the presence of histamine using high-performance liquid chromatography with diode array. Results The histamine concentration ranged from below limit of detection to 346.64 mg/kg, where 3.47 mg/kg was the lowest in a positive sample. Histamine was detected in 48 samples (49.5%). The maximum amount of histamine was identified in dry ham and the minimum in traditional salami. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that testing meat products for biogenic amines should be a very good indicator of the food safety of long-ripening meats. In half of the tested products, levels of biogenic amines potentially toxic to consumers were determined.

Galangal extract of an antimicrobial model for predicting the reduction in histamine concentration in minced pork

“…The histamine concentration results in this study were lower than those obtained by Michalski et al (2021), who found that the histamine concentration of 97 samples of long-ripening meat products untreated by heat in Poland ranged from below the limit of detection to 346.64 mg/kg, where 3.47 mg/kg was the lowest concentration in a positive sample. Histamine was detected in 48 samples (49.5%).…”