Histamine Levels in 3 Types of Iranian Cheese by Ion-Exchange Chromatography

Three types of Iranian cheese including Feta, Lighvan and Kope were investigated on the basis of histamine content as a biogenic amine. The separation and determination of this compound were performed by ion-exchange chromatography. Results indicated significant differences in histamine contents among the three types of cheeses, with the highest mean content of 42.6 mg/100g for Kope cheese, and the lowest mean level of 4.99 mg/100g in Feta cheese. In microbiological studies, Kope cheese samples had the highest total yeast (24 %) and bacterial contents (36 %). None of the isolates were found to be of major pathogenic importance.