Histamine formation by enterococci isolated from home-made goat cheeses.
A survey was made of the histamine-producing capability of enterococci isolated from goat cheeses. The strains, 130 Streptococcus faecium and 106 S. faecalis, were grown in Trypticase Soy Broth Histidine medium (TSBH) at 35 degrees C for 24 h and the histamine formed was determined by fluorometry. Forty-one (31.5%) of the S. faecium strains and 2 (1.9%) of the S. faecalis strains produced histamine. The largest amount detected was 4.0 micrograms histamine/ml TSBH. Compared with the amounts of histamine produced by some Gram-negative bacteria, the histamine production by enterococci seems to be low. Under the present conditions the enterococci seem to have no relevance from a histamine intoxication point of view.
Tham
W
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Department of Food Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, SLU, Uppsala, Sweden.
D000818:Animals; D002611:Cheese; D013293:Enterococcus faecalis / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*; D005511:Food Handling; D005516:Food Microbiology; D006041:Goats; D006632:Histamine / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism*
D006632:Histamine