Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Sep 4;12(3):11319.
doi: 10.4081/ijfs.2023.11319. eCollection 2023 Aug 2.

Physicochemical and microbiological attributes of dried anchovies (Stolephorus commersonnii) in the formation of histamine along the supply chain

Ruel Hermo Amascual  1 , Harold Panganoron  1 , Andrew Gamba  1   2 , Elmer Irene  3
Affiliations

Physicochemical and microbiological attributes of dried anchovies (Stolephorus commersonnii) in the formation of histamine along the supply chain

Ruel Hermo Amascual et al. Ital J Food Saf. .

Abstract

Food safety along the supply chain must be safeguarded to protect the public's health from any foodborne disease. Despite the consumption of fish products, scombroid poisoning is not a wellknown occurrence. This study was formulated to evaluate at which stage of the supply chain the increase in the histamine content of dried anchovies (Stolephorus commersonnii) occurs. The study showed that histamine substances and Staphylococcus aureus were detected at all stages of the supply chain. It was also found that the concentration of histamine generally increased from the fisherman to the processors and retailers. Post-hoc analysis using the Fisher test showed no significant difference in the histamine content of dried anchovies from the processing centers (𝑥̅ =5 4.07 mg/kg) and retailers (𝑥̅ = 67.63 mg/kg), but it was significantly higher than in the raw anchovies (𝑥̅ = 8.29 mg/kg). S. aureus remains low at <10 colony-forming units (CFU/g). The aerobic plate count supports this conclusion with a 90.29% increase from the processing centers to the retailers. However, it is still significant as a source of histamine formation influenced by water activity and salt content. A correlation between salt content and water activity with histamine content was identified with a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.8357. It is recommended to review the processing method to control the salt content and the handling and storage at the retailers, as they showed the highest potential for histamine-forming bacteria growth, leading to an increase in histamine levels in dried anchovies.

Keywords: Staphylococcus aureus.; Stolephorus commersonnii; food safety; foodborne disease; histamine-forming bacteria.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: the authors declare no potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The stages of the supply chain of dried-salted fish products.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Box plot of the histamine content of raw and dried anchovies from different sources.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Box plot of the water activity of raw and dried anchovies from different sources.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Box plot of the salt content of raw and dried anchovies from different sources. NaCl, salt.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Amascual RH, Panganoron HO, Irene EA, Pajarillo ND, 2020. Histamine profile of dried-salted fish sold in local retailers of Samar, Philippines. Ital J Food Saf 9:8322. - PMC - PubMed
    1. D’sa EM, Harrison MA, 2005. Effect of pH, NaCl content, and temperature on growth and survival of Arcobacter spp. J Food 68:18-25. - PubMed
    1. Feldhusen F, 2000. The role of seafood in bacterial foodborne diseases. Microbes Infect 2:1651-60. - PubMed
    1. Fennema OR, 1996. Food chemistry (3rd ed). New York, NY, USA: Marcel Dekker.
    1. Ferran M, Yébenes M, 2006. Flushing associated with scombroid fish poisoning. Dermatol Online J 12:15. - PubMed