Is tuna high in histamine?
Tuna is high in histamine risk: it belongs to a fish family rich in histidine that bacteria turn into histamine, canning does not remove it, and 9 of 10 published low-histamine diets exclude fish.
- Histamine
- Varies by sample
- Other amines
- Notable levels
- Liberator
- Not on the lists we use
- DAO blocker
- No evidence
What each source says
| Source | Verdict | What it says, in our words |
|---|---|---|
| Lab measurements, Spain 1 | Measured | Oily fish usually low but up to 111 mg/kg; canned fish up to 657 mg/kg. |
| 10 published low-histamine diets 1 | 9 of 10 exclude fish; tuna is one of the species singled out. | |
| Histamine intolerance review, 2020 2 | Tuna is the classic cause of histamine poisoning from fish. | |
| EU food law 3 | Sets legal histamine limits for fish from histidine-rich families, including tuna's. | |
| SIGHI food list 4 | See source | See SIGHI's own list for its rating. |
Measured histamine
| Food tested | Samples | Histamine | Other amines |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresh oily fish sold in Spain (group that includes tuna) 1 (Table 1) | 49 | mean 3.27 mg/kg, range nd–111.26 mg/kg, 95th percentile 6.66 mg/kg | cadaverine up to 400.23 mg/kg; the highest histamine sample was salmon |
| Canned and marinated fish sold in Spain 1 (Table 1) | 151 | mean 10.03 mg/kg, range nd–657.05 mg/kg, 95th percentile 20.39 mg/kg | the highest sample was canned sardines |
mg/kg = milligrams of histamine per kilogram of food. "Not detected" means below the laboratory's detection limit.
How freshness and processing change it
Tuna flesh is rich in free histidine, which bacteria convert into histamine whenever the fish is not kept cold from catch to plate. Histamine is heat-stable, so canning, cooking or searing cannot remove what has already formed. Leftover cooked tuna and tuna salad kept for days add more risk.
Canned fish reached 657 mg/kg in one sample; canning heat does not lower histamine. (measured)
Fresh oily fish is usually low, but outliers exceed 100 mg/kg; it depends on the cold chain. (estimate)
Not measured. Storage time adds histamine, and reheating does not remove it. (estimate)
Why we rate tuna 3
Tuna is the fish most associated with histamine, and the reason is biology, not folklore. Tuna belongs to the Scombridae family, whose flesh is naturally rich in free histidine, the amino acid that bacteria convert into histamine. When tuna is not kept cold from the moment it is caught, bacteria such as Morganella morganii can produce histamine in it quickly. Histamine poisoning from fish was long called "scombroid poisoning" for this reason, and histamine was first identified as the cause in 1946, after people ate poorly transported tuna. European law sets a legal histamine limit for fish from histidine-rich families, tuna's among them.
Measurements show how much this depends on handling. In fresh oily fish sold in Spain, a group that includes tuna, most of the 49 samples were low: 95% were below 6.66 mg/kg. The highest sample, a salmon, reached 111.26 mg/kg. In 151 samples of canned and marinated fish, 95% were below 20.39 mg/kg, and the highest, a can of sardines, reached 657.05 mg/kg. These are group figures; the study did not report tuna on its own.
Canning does not help. Histamine is heat-stable, so the cooking and sterilising involved in canning, like grilling or searing at home, cannot remove histamine that formed before. Nine of the ten published low-histamine diets in a 2021 review exclude fish and fish products as a group, and tuna, mackerel, sardines and anchovies are the species singled out.
We rate tuna 3, "high". Canned tuna and leftovers get the full rating. Very fresh tuna from a supplier with a tight cold chain is a lower risk, but you have no way to check its histamine at home. If you want fish during a low-histamine diet, white fish such as cod, frozen soon after catch, is the usual swap.
Questions about tuna and histamine
Is canned tuna high in histamine?
It is the form of tuna with the most risk. Histamine that formed before canning survives the canning heat, and canned fish in a Spanish survey reached 657 mg/kg in one sample, although most samples were far lower.
Is fresh tuna sushi low in histamine?
It can be, if the fish was kept cold from catch to plate, but you cannot check that yourself. We rate very fresh tuna 2 as an estimate; it was not measured on its own.
Evidence behind this page
- Tuna belongs to fish families with flesh rich in free histidine; histamine was first identified as the cause of fish poisoning in 1946 after people ate poorly transported tuna. 2
- In fresh oily fish sold in Spain, 95% of 49 samples were below 6.66 mg/kg, but the highest reached 111.26 mg/kg. 1
- In 151 samples of canned and marinated fish, 95% were below 20.39 mg/kg; the highest, canned sardines, reached 657.05 mg/kg. 1
- The heat used to make canned fish does not reduce biogenic amines. 1
- EU law sets histamine limits for fishery products from fish species associated with a high amount of histidine. 3
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)
- 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)
- European Commission. Commission Regulation (EC) No 2073/2005 on microbiological criteria for foodstuffs. Official Journal of the European Union L 338, 2005. Link (European Commission 2005)
- 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)