Tomato Purée Histamine Information

Tomato purée, like fresh tomatoes and other tomato-based products (e.g. ketchup, pizza sauce), does contain histamine, which can impact levels in the body, potentially leading to symptoms of histamine intolerance in sensitive individuals. Tomatoes are rich in naturally occurring histamines, therefore, their concentrated form - tomato purée - is likely to have a proportionately higher histamine content. All tomatoes, including those used in purée, undergo some form of fermentation during ripening, and histamine is produced during this process, making tomato products high in histamine. In addition, tomatoes are also considered as histamine liberators, they promote the release of histamine stored in body cells adding to the total load of histamine a person must metabolize. However, not all tomato products have the same histamine content. The histamine content can vary depending on many factors such as the ripening stage of the tomatoes at the time of processing, and the specific processing or preservation methods used. Although there is no direct research revealing tomato purée helping in lowering histamine levels, however, there are various compounds present in tomatoes, like quercetin, which have been found in studies to inhibit histamine release or affect its metabolism, potentially mitigating some of its effects. As of now, the impact of tomato purée specifically on histamine levels has not been thoroughly researched. Due to the varied histamine content and the potential for tomatoes to also act as histamine liberators, this product's exact impact may vary greatly among individuals and circumstances. Taking all of this into account, individuals concerned about histamine levels, especially those dealing with histamine intolerance or other related conditions, may want to monitor their response to tomato purée and other tomato-based products, limiting or avoiding them if necessary. Sources: 1. Maintz, L., & Novak, N. (2007). Histamine and histamine intolerance. The American journal of clinical nutrition, 85(5), 1185-1196. 2. Kovačević, D. B., Babić, J., Dragović-Uzelac, V., Levaj, B., & Pedisić, S. (2015). The effects of variety and pre-treatment method on lycopene content in tomato purée. International journal of food science & technology, 50(6), 1435-1441. 3. Krajewska, A., Rys, J., & Byczynska, A. (2011, October). Synthesis of biogenic amines by natural microflora in fresh and fermented vegetables. In Proceedings of Ninth Conference on Biotechnology in Agricultural Production, Food Processing, Forestry and Animal Husbandry. 4. Comas-Basté, O., Sánchez-Pérez, S., Veciana-Nogués, M. T., Latorre-Moratalla, M., & Vidal-Carou, M. C. (2020). Histamine intolerance: the current state of the art. Biomolecules, 10(8), 1181.