Is lime high in histamine?
Lime is probably mostly low in histamine: limes were not tested on their own, but 38 citrus fruits had none. Citrus carries putrescine, a related amine, and 6 of 10 published diets exclude it.
- Histamine
- Not detected
- Other amines
- Notable levels
- Liberator
- Claimed, unproven
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
Why sources disagree. Limes have not been measured on their own. Citrus fruit as a group had no detectable histamine but notable putrescine, a related amine, and six of ten published diets exclude citrus.
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements, Spain 1 | Measured | No detectable histamine in 38 citrus fruits; limes were not tested on their own. |
| Citrus measured one by one, 2018 review 2 | Lemons, mandarins, oranges and grapefruit were tested; limes were not. | |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 1 | 6 of 10 exclude citrus fruits. | |
| Histamine-liberator claim 1 | Citrus fruits are listed among suggested histamine-releasing foods; no human study supports the claim. | |
| SIGHI food list 3 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citrus fruits sold in Spain (group) 1 (Table 1) | 38 | not detected | putrescine mean 79.75 mg/kg, up to 173.81 mg/kg; tyramine and cadaverine not detected |
| Citrus fruits and juices, range across studies (group) 2 (Table 4) | — | range nd–2 mg/kg | putrescine 7–200 mg/kg |
mg/kg = milligrams of histamine per kilogram of food. "Not detected" means below the laboratory's detection limit.
How freshness and processing change it
Whole limes keep well. Lime juice was not measured; studies of citrus fruit and juices found histamine from none to about 2 mg/kg, so even processed citrus was low in histamine. Bottled lime juice and lime cordial contain other ingredients and were not tested.
Not measured as lime; rated from the citrus group and the lists. (estimate)
Why we rate lime 1
Limes are the citrus fruit with the least data behind them. None of the studies we use measured limes by name, so this page relies on the figures for citrus fruit as a group. A University of Barcelona team found no detectable histamine in 38 citrus fruits sold in Spain, and across the studies they collected on citrus fruit and juices in general, histamine ranged from none to about 2 mg/kg. What citrus does carry is putrescine, averaging 79.75 mg/kg in the group. Some researchers think putrescine competes with histamine for DAO, the gut enzyme that breaks histamine down, and a 2020 review from the same team suggests it may explain why some people react to citrus.
There is a catch in using that group for limes. When the same team reported citrus fruits one by one in 2018, it listed lemons, mandarins, oranges and grapefruit, with 38 samples between them, and no limes. So we cannot be sure limes were in the group at all. The fruits that were measured also differ a lot. Lemons averaged just 2.33 mg/kg of putrescine, while oranges averaged 91.24 mg/kg and mandarins 90.16 mg/kg. Lime often stands in for lemon in cooking, but we do not know whether its putrescine is closer to lemon's or to orange's.
The published diets treat limes as citrus. Six of the ten low-histamine diets compared in the team's 2021 review exclude citrus fruit, and citrus is on the list of suggested "histamine liberators", a claim the review says has no support from studies in people.
We rate lime 1, "mostly low", and mark it disputed. Citrus had no histamine in any sample, and lime is usually used by the squeeze or by the teaspoon of zest, but the group's putrescine and the wide exclusion of citrus each count for one step on our scale. The rating is an estimate until limes are measured on their own. If your dietitian has you off citrus for an elimination phase, that includes lime; it is a reasonable early candidate when you start reintroducing foods.
Questions about lime and histamine
Is lime the same as lemon for histamine?
We do not know. Lemons had no detectable histamine and very little putrescine in lab tests, but limes were not measured on their own. Both are rated 1 here, lime as an estimate from the citrus group.
Is lime juice high in histamine?
Lime juice was not measured. Studies of citrus fruit and juices found histamine from none to about 2 mg/kg, which is low. Citrus juice does contain putrescine.
Evidence behind this page
- Across 38 citrus fruits sold in Spain, histamine was not detected and putrescine averaged 79.75 mg/kg, up to 173.81 mg/kg. 1
- The citrus fruits the team reported one by one were lemons (3 samples, putrescine 2.33 mg/kg), mandarins (21, 90.16 mg/kg), oranges (12, 91.24 mg/kg) and grapefruit (2, 55.55 mg/kg); limes were not among them. 2
- Studies of citrus fruit and juices reported histamine from not detected to about 2 mg/kg and putrescine from 7 to 200 mg/kg. 2
- Six of ten published low-histamine diets exclude citrus fruits. 1
- A 2020 review suggests that symptoms after citrus may be due to other amines, especially putrescine. 4
Sources
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Low-Histamine Diets: Is the Exclusion of Foods Justified by Their Histamine Content? Nutrients 13(5):1395, 2021. doi:10.3390/nu13051395 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2021)
- Sánchez-Pérez S, Comas-Basté O, Rabell-González J, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla ML, Vidal-Carou MC. Biogenic Amines in Plant-Origin Foods: Are They Frequently Underestimated in Low-Histamine Diets? Foods 7(12):205, 2018. doi:10.3390/foods7120205 (Sánchez-Pérez S et al. 2018)
- Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI). Food compatibility list for histamine intolerance. histaminintoleranz.ch (accessed November 2026), 2026. Link (Swiss Interest Group Histamine Intolerance (SIGHI) 2026)
- Comas-Basté O, Sánchez-Pérez S, Veciana-Nogués MT, Latorre-Moratalla M, Vidal-Carou MDC. Histamine Intolerance: The Current State of the Art. Biomolecules 10(8):1181, 2020. doi:10.3390/biom10081181 (Comas-Basté O et al. 2020)