Histamine is a naturally occurring contaminant that can be found in improperly handled seafood. Quality tuna has histamine levels below 50 ppm and high levels of histamine in seafood can cause scombroid food poisoning. Scombroid poisoning is one of the most common fish food-borne illnesses occurring worldwide and can result in a range of symptoms including flushing of the skin, headache heart palpations, itching, blurred vision, and/or gastrointestinal distress. The amount of histamine in food can be determined using ELISA or LC-MS however, these traditional methods require expensive equipment and time-consuming sample preparation procedures. The HistaStrip™ Test Kit is a convenient dipstick technology used for the rapid detection of histamine in seafood, fish meal, milk, and fish sauce. The test strips can detect unsafe levels of histamine in only four minutes without the use of organic solvents or heating steps. Detection capabilities using the strips are well below global Maximum Residue Limits (MRL).
In this study, we demonstrate the quantitative accuracy of the HistaStrip Test Kit using the new QuickSTAR™ Horizon™ strip reader model for the detection of histamine in seafood, fish meal, fish sauce, and milk.