Abstract
•There was a high positive detection rate of histamine in shawarma samples in Egypt.•The histamine levels were higher in the chicken shawarma than in the beef shawarma.•Histamine levels significantly differed based on hygienic level of restaurants.•Histamine levels in most of the samples exceeded international acceptable limits.
The purpose of this study was to determine histamine content in ready-to-eat shawarma samples (120 samples; 60 each of beef and chicken shawarma) purchased from different fast-food restaurants having different hygienic levels distributed in Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt, along with the assessment of the health risks associated with the consumption of these products containing histamine. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) detected histamine in 60 % and 70 % of beef shawarma and chicken shawarma tested with mean levels of 8.02 ± 1.14 and 10.33 ± 1.36 mg/100 g, respectively, which exceeded the international acceptable limits. The results of health risk assessment based on calculated EDIs of histamine with comparison to their maximum tolerable safety level (NOAEL or LOAEL) indicating that the consumption of ready-to-eat beef or chicken shawarma processed and served in Egypt may carry a potential health risk for either sensitive individuals (suffering from histamine intolerance) or high shawarma consumers who consume more than one shawarma meal per day. Since histamine is thermostable and can’t be eliminated from foods by cooking, stringent control actions should be followed to avoid histamine formation in ready-to-eat shawarma to ensure their safety.