Kimchi Histamine Information

Kimchi, a traditional Korean dish, is well-known for its rich source of probiotics due to its fermentation process. The fermentation process gives kimchi its abundance of lactobacillus strains, which play a crucial role for the human gut health, aiding in digestion and immunity. However, it's noteworthy that the process of fermentation also naturally produces histamine, which can impact histamine levels in the body. Fermented foods like kimchi contain a fair amount of histamine. As referenced in a study by Seo et al. (2013), kimchi possesses histamine producing bacteria, including Lactobacillus curvatus and Lactobacillus sakei, which can contribute significantly to the level of histamine depending on the duration of fermentation. Naturally, the longer a food is left to ferment, the higher the concentration of histamine it will contain. However, it is important to consider that not all kimchi might have such effects on the histamine level. The level of histamine can significantly depend on various factors including the ingredients used in kimchi, how it is prepared or stored and the length of the fermentation period. So, while some kimchi products might have high histamine content, others might have less, or may even demonstrate histamine-lowering effects given the right conditions and ingredients, although such data is currently sparse in the scientific literature. The active ingredients in kimchi include cabbage, garlic, ginger, and red chili peppers, all of which have various health effects. Nonetheless, there is a dearth of concrete information regarding these ingredients specifically acting as histamine liberators or inhibitors. More in-depth research on the interactions between these ingredients and histamine levels would therefore be necessary for a comprehensive understanding of the potential impacts. As of now, this product has not been researched well enough to publish any concrete information regarding its impact on histamine levels, our team is working hard on this. Data will be available soon. Reference: Seo, S.H., Kim, M., Lee, S.H., Park, D.H., Cho, B.H., Lim, S.D., Hong, S.S., Kim, J.Y., & Kim, T.J., (2013). Survey of histamine content and histamine-forming bacteria in Kimchi products in Korea. Food Control, 31(2), 403-408.