Histamine in Provolone: What’s the Limit?

Last Updated on June 3, 2022 by Aaron

When it comes to cheese, there are a lot of variables to consider. One of those is the histamine content. For people with histamine intolerance, that can be a big issue.

So, what’s the limit on how much histamine they can consume? Let’s take a closer look at provolone and histamine.

Amount of Histamine Intake In A Day

As there is no such thing as histamine-free diets ⁽¹⁾, having a general idea of the histamine content in different foods is important.

Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) and World Health Organization (WHO) have stated 20 mg per 100g of serving is the appropriate histamine hazard level for a healthy individual ⁽²⁾.

Several other sources ^{(3, 4)} also suggested that 6-25 mg/meal of histamine intake is a safe level.

In other words, the safe level of histamine intake is below 25 mg /100g for a healthy person in a meal.

For histamine intolerance persons however, the current studies did not have a conclusive answer for the safe histamine level.

The recommended method by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is to determine if foods without a detectable amount of histamine can be considered safe for intolerant people ⁽⁵⁾.

Okay, now we just have to look at whether the provolone has a “detectable” amount of histamine.

Histamine in Provolone – Okay to eat?

Yes, not only does provolone have a detectable level of histamine, other cheeses like cheddar, brie, camembert, Colby, Roquefort, gouda, mozzarella, and Swiss cheese were all showed a detectable amount of histamine level ⁽⁶⁾.

According to the EFSA statement above, they are not safe for histamine intolerant persons.

The amount of histamine in provolone is up to 23.5 mg/100 g. That’s about 4x compared to cheddar, 8x to Colby, 5x to camembert, and 5x to mozzarella ⁽⁶⁾.

For people with histamine intolerance, that could be a problem. So, it’s better to avoid it.

Why Provolone is High Histamine?

Like other cheeses, provolone is a hard cheese that ages for 2-12 months or longer. In general, fermented foods have a high amount of histamine – chocolate, wine, cheese, kimchi, vinegar, and everything.

The answer to this is not fully clear. However, there are some possible explanations:

• The aging process can increase the histamine content in foods (like wine and cheese) as histidine decarboxylase enzyme activity increases with age ⁽⁸⁾.
• The presence of lactic acid bacteria can lead to an increase in histamine production ⁽⁷⁾.
• Additives, such as sulfites and nitrites, used for preservation can cause a similar reaction to those of histamines reactions ⁽⁹⁾.

Wrap up

Provolone has a detectable & high level of histamine. For people with histamine intolerance, that could be a problem as the safe amount of histamine intake is below 25 mg/100g for a healthy person in a meal.

So it’s best to avoid provolone in your diet. Consult your doctor if you’re not sure about which foods are safe for you.