Major achievements in BIOCOM

Biogenic amines in seafoods - assessment and management of consumer exposure

There has been a high level of activity within the project. Eight outbreaks of histamine poisoning were investigated in the first 10 months. The high level of activity means it is now proposed that required data from the initial phase of the work will be gathered within 24 rather than 36 months. It has been well documented that seafood containing levels of histamine above 500-1000 mg/kg has been responsible for histamine fish poisoning (HFP). Formation of these toxic concentrations of histamine and other biogenic amines is typically considered to result from the growth and activity of mesophilic enterobacteria where seafood is stored at temperatures, above 7-10°C. The BIOCOM project has identified psychrotolerant Morganella morganii-like bacteria and Photobacterium phosphoreum, growing at temperatures as low as 2°C, as being responsible for histamine formation in cold-smoked tuna that caused HFP. This is a significant breakthrough in our understanding of the causes for histamine poisoning, and forms the basis for new strategies to avoid HFP in future.

People in this project