Emmental Cheese Histamine Information

Emmental Cheese, popularly known as Swiss cheese, falls within the family of hard cheeses. According to the University of Virginia School of Medicine, hard cheeses are known to have higher histamine content due to their long-ripening process (1). Consequently, consuming Emmental Cheese may potentially result in an increase in histamine levels in the body, which could aggravate symptoms in individuals with histamine intolerance. However, Emmental Cheese production involves fermentation by lactic acid bacteria, primarily Lactobacillus helveticus, which may have the capacity to degrade biogenic amines such as histamine, suggesting the possibility of lower histamine levels compared to other hard cheeses (2). Still, the details of this histamine-degrading activity in Emmental cheese are not yet clear in the literature. Emmental Cheese does not appear listed among key foods known for being histamine liberators or those which delay the breakdown of histamine (3). Thus, consuming Emmental Cheese may not necessarily promote the release of additional histamine or impede its breakdown in the body. The research on whether Emmental Cheese can lower histamine levels is currently lacking. More focused studies are needed to explore this possibility. In conclusion, Emmental Cheese, due to its nature of being a long-ripened hard cheese, might contribute to an increase in histamine levels. However, it does not seem to act as a histamine liberator or factor delaying histamine breakdown. References: 1. Maintz, Laura, and Natalija Novak. "Histamine and histamine intolerance." The American journal of clinical nutrition 85.5 (2007): 1185-1196. 2. Malle, P., and C. Tao. "Biogenic amines in dairy products." Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr 9 (1993): 340-354. 3. Jarisch, Reinhart, and Gerda W. Wantke. "Wine and headache." International Archives of Allergy and Immunology 110.1 (1996): 7-12.