Influence of Milk Quality and Production Factors on the Presence and Amount of Histamine in Traditional Yogurt ‎

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Biogenic amines are organic, basic nitrogenous compounds of low molecular weight that are mainly generated by the enzymatic decarboxylation of amino acids by microorganisms. Histamine is the only BA with a defined legal upper limit in foods (5mg100g^-1) and the most frequent foodborne intoxications and intolerances, caused by biogenic amines, involve histamine. Dairy products are among the foods with the highest amine content. Yogurt consists of approximately 60 percent of the per capita dairy consumption of Iranian people. In this study, the effect of milk quality (subclinical mastitis) and production factors including starter content, storage time, and temperature on the presence and amount of histamine in yogurt were determined. A reversed-phase HPLC method was employed for histamine determination. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile/water (18: 82) and the flow rate was 0.5 ml min^-1using isocratic HPLC. Detection with UV detector was carried out at 254nm. Histamine concentration was different in yogurt samples and below the acceptable limit. Analysis of data using multivariable regression showed that there is a significant correlation between histamine amount and all of the studied factors except starter content. The results showed that amounts of histamine in yogurt cannot cause a health hazard and it is possible to reduce the accumulation of histamine in yogurt by improvement in the production process and milk quality