Investigations on histamine levels and some chemical quality parameters in tulum cheeses sold in Elaziğ

In this study, some properties of dried tulum cheese consumed in Elazığ province was investigated. These are chemical quality parameters and some nitrogen fractions. From those parameters the ripening level of cheese and the histamine content was calculated. In the study, samples were taken from markets and bazaars at different locations in Elazığ. The sample number were 40 and were taken at 10 days intervals. The amount of each sample was 200 g and were replaced in sterile glass container and transferred to laboratory aseptically. The samples were analyzed and results found as follows. The chemical parameter results were found as, pH 5,10±0,40; acidity (as l.a) 1,80±0,38 %; dry matter 54,94±5,13 %; oil 27,35±6,85 %; oil in dry basis 49,09±10,53 %; ash 3,37±0,91 %; aw 0,93±0,03; salt 3,29±0,60 %. nitrogen fractions were found respectively as, average protein 20,76±1,93 %; total nitrogen 3,25±0,29 %; water soluble nitrogen 0,79±0,16 %; TCA-N 0,49±0,09 %; PTA-N 0,17±0,06 % and ripening index 24,58±5,48 %. The histamine analyzes of cheese samples were carried out by ELISA. The minimum histamine amount was found 6,78 mg/100g, maximum histamine amount was found 251,00 mg/100g and the average amount of histamine was found 70,65 mg/100g. The results show that there is an important positive correlation between the ripening index and histamine content. At the aspect of histamine contents in this study; there is not a limit for histamine levels at Turkish Food Codex for cheeses, however, it was seen that some samples inspected in this study could contain high amount of histamin that could be harmful to human health. In the dried tulum cheeses, the histamine levels increased as the ripening index rised, however, shortening the ripening time of tulum cheeses isn't possible due to legal regulation on cheese made from raw milk. Therefore, it can be ensured consuming safe tulum cheeses with the controlling the microbiological condition of raw milk and proper storage condition during the ripening time. Keywords: Histamine, Chemical Quality, Tulum Cheese, Ripening Index, TCA, PTA