High levels of histamine in stored foods, such as meat and fish, can lead to dangerous overconsumption triggering severe allergic reactions and mast cell-related issues. Improper refrigeration is one of the primary mechanisms leading to high histamine production in these perishables. Recently, researchers at Chung-Ang University in Korea have developed a new quantification method that enables rapid and inexpensive quantification of histamine levels in fish samples.
Lead authors, Professor Tae Jung Park and Jong Pil Park, have published in Biosensors and Bioelectronics, the team describes their novel approach based on the use of fluorescent carbon nanoparticles and a protein that binds strongly to histamine.
The researchers produced fluorescent carbon nanoparticles called "carbon quantum dots (CQDs)" and coated them with N-Acetyl-L-Cysteine (NAC), a naturally occurring compound that also binds to Hisp3. The CQDs are fluorescent, emitting the captured energy at a lower, visible frequency. However, their fluorescence is "quenched" when Hisp3 is added to the mix, which binds to the NAC and covers the CQDs' surface.
When a histamine-containing sample is mixed with the CQDs, the Hisp3 unbinds from the NAC and binds to the histamine reestablishing the original fluorescence levels of the CQDs in direct proportion to the concentration of histamine. The new method is capable of detecting dangerous histamine levels and can also be utilized in food product quality assessments.
Prof. Park commented, "We managed to accurately measure histamine concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 100 parts per million, with a limit of detection as low as 13 parts per billion. This means our approach is not only more convenient but also more effective and sensitive than those currently available methods."