Precooking as a Control for Histamine Formation during the Processing of Tuna: An Industrial Process Validation

Area of Science:

• Food Science
• Seafood Safety
• Microbiology

Background:

• Histamine formation in fish, particularly tuna, is a significant food safety concern, leading to scombrotoxin poisoning.
• Postharvest handling and temperature abuse are critical factors influencing histamine levels in tuna.
• Current control strategies require validation for industrial application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the efficacy of precooking as a critical control point (CCP) for inhibiting histamine formation in tuna.
• To determine the minimum core temperature and duration required to prevent further histamine development after precooking.
• To assess the effectiveness of precooking under simulated worst-case postharvest conditions.

Main Methods:

• Albacore tuna were intentionally spoiled to achieve high histamine levels (>50 ppm) under simulated adverse conditions.
• Spoiled tuna were then subjected to a commercial precooking process, targeting a maximum core temperature of 60°C.
• Histamine levels were monitored at regular intervals (every 6 hours) for up to 30 hours after precooking at ambient temperatures (19-37°C).

Main Results:

• A minimum core precooking temperature of 60°C effectively halted further histamine formation for a period of 12 to 18 hours.
• This temperature threshold was validated as a preventive measure against histamine accumulation even after deliberate spoilage.
• The precooking process was sufficient to prepare tuna for subsequent processing into frozen loins or canned products.

Conclusions:

• Precooking tuna to a minimum core temperature of 60°C is a highly effective method for controlling histamine formation.
• This process serves as a validated critical control point within a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan for tuna processing.
• The findings support the industrial-scale implementation of precooking to enhance seafood safety and prevent scombrotoxin poisoning.