Research on histamine in cheese by response surface methodology and its exposure risk in China

To investigate histamine content in commercial cheeses in China and evaluate the risk of exposure, 201 samples (97 different types of cheeses) were analysed using a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with pre-column derivatisation. Response surface methodology (RSM) was used to optimise the concentration of derivative agent (dansyl chloride), pH, temperature, and time of derivation. Histamine was detected in 80% of the samples (0.43-332.70 mg kg−1). A quantitative exposure assessment was performed on Chinese population using Monte-Carlo methods. The result shows that children (3-10 years old) residing in North China and Shanghai are exposed with the highest histamine in cheese.