Brussels, 08/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - According to a scientific opinion by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) published at the beginning of July, storage times and CO2 content in packaging are the two main factors that influence the effect of temperature on histamine formation in fish, a toxin responsible for food poisoning.
In this opinion on temperature to apply to prepacked fish at retail level, scientists identified the combinations of these two factors on different storage temperatures, given that histamine forms when certain fish (tuna, sardines, mackerel and anchovies) are not correctly refrigerated before being cooked or processed.
EFSA experts also identified histamine as the main danger link to fish temperatures. The presence of this toxin in fish is subject to controls under EU legislation.
“Cooking, freezing and canning will not destroy this toxin, histamine, after it has formed. The best prevention is to stop it from forming by maintaining the cold chain and keeping fish refrigerated,” explains Ernesto Liebana, head of EFSA's Biological Hazards and Contaminants unit.
In the EU, histamine poisoning is one of the most common illnesses caused by fish and fishery products. In 2013, there were 42 reported outbreaks of histamine poisoning which involved 231 people. However, the actual number of outbreaks and affected people is probably greater than reported.
Fishery products containing high levels of histamine might not look or smell bad, but can cause illness. The symptoms include tingling or burning of the mouth or throat, rash, headache, diarrhoea and usually start within one hour after eating.
The EFSA evaluation focused on fresh products such as cod fillet; thawed unprocessed products such as sushi; cooked and chilled products from crustaceans and molluscs, such as cooked crab or vacuum-packed crab meat. While EFSA identified histamine formation as the main hazard, the scientific opinion also evaluated Listeria monocytogenes, Clostridium botulinum, and Yersinia enterocolitica. (Aminata Niang)