Evaluation of Histamine and Other Biogenic Amines and Bacterial Isolation in Canned Anchovies Recalled by the USFDA

: Histamine and other biogenic amines were evaluated in canned anchovies recalled by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In addition, bacteria were isolated from the products and identified to species. The recalled products were divided into 2 groups of high and low histamine, depending on the histamine contents as determined by the AOAC method. The high histamine group had the histamine contents >200 ppm, and 24 of the 30 cans analyzed belonged to this group. The most prevalent biogenic amine in this group was histamine followed by cadaverine. On the other hand, the low histamine group of 6 cans contained approximately 50 ppm histamine. The most prevalent biogenic amine found in this group of samples was cadaverine at levels >200 ppm. Other biogenic amines, such as putrescine, serotonin, and spermidine, were also detected in all the products, although at varied levels. Aerobic and anaerobic bacterial counts, if present in all of the recalled products, were below the detection limit of 102 colony-forming units (CFU)/g. Bacteria were recovered only after enrichment of the test samples. They were mostly halophilic bacteria. Bacillus spp. were most frequently identified, followed by Staphylococcus spp. However, these isolates produced negligible amounts of histamine in culture broth, indicating that they are not the contributors to histamine accumulation in the canned anchovies.