THE DEVELOPMENT OF A MONOCLONAL ANTIBODY-BASED ELISA FOR THE DETERMINATION OF HISTAMINE IN FOOD - APPLICATION TO FISHERY PRODUCTS AND COMPARISON WITH THE HPLC ASSAY

Monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) to histamine were prepared by immunising mice with histamine-protein conjugates. Four Mabs were obtained which both exhibited high affinity for histamine after chemical derivatisati on, and showed no cross-reaction with five other biogenic amines (cada verine, putrescine, spermine, spermidine, tyramine) or with structural ly related compounds such as histidine or serotonine. Using these anti bodies, a competitive inhibition ELISA (CIELISA) was developed, availa ble in the range 10-100 ng/ml. The assay has been used to quantify the histamine content of fish extracts previously treated for histamine d erivatisation using 1,4-benzoquinone. Values for histamine content wer e obtained within 5 h. Results obtained either by CIEILISA or by the c urrently used HPLC method were closely related.