Capillary zone electrophoretic determination of histamine in fish

Histamine, the principal causative agent in scombroid food poisoning, was analyzed in seafood by a new, rapid, and sensitive method using capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with UV detection at 210 nm. Incurred histamine in methanolic fish extracts migrated within 4 min in a fused silica capillary filled with 0.02 M citrate buffer, pH 2.5, under an applied potential of 375 V/cm. The analytical response was linear from 0.5 to 100 ppm histamine (correlation coefficient, r = 0.999). The coefficients of variation for migration time and peak area response were < 1 and < 3%, respectively. Recovery of histamine in fortified fish composites was satisfactory. CZE was considered for alternative application in seafood speciation.