Dr. Tran Thi Thu Hang, - Project leader, said: As a major product of our country's seafood industry, fish sauce production consumes about 40–60% of the total fish caught and is carried out in many coastal provinces and cities across the country. According to statistics, Vietnam and Thailand are the two largest fish sauce-producing countries in the world.

However, Vietnam's export output is much lower than that of Thailand. The main reason is that the histamine content in some of our country's fish sauce products exceeds the prescribed standards. Consuming excessive amounts of histamine will cause adverse symptoms such as runny nose, asthma, hives, rashes, etc., affecting the health of consumers.

Therefore, in order to produce high-quality fish sauce, it is extremely necessary to apply measures to reduce the histamine content in the product. Currently, the method of using microorganisms to decompose this compound is receiving more attention due to its safety. According to this method, strains of halophilic microorganisms capable of decomposing histamine are added to the food production process to decompose histamine.

Vietnam has not had many studies on isolating some strains of bacteria capable of decomposing histamine in fermented fish products as well as in fish sauce. “Through the research process, we have developed a technological process for producing the halophilic bacterial preparation Exiguobacterium profundum CH2.1 and Virgibacillus campisalis TT8.5, which are capable of decomposing histamine, and have used the preparation to produce traditional fish sauce on a laboratory scale,” said Dr. Tran Thi Thu Hang.

In particular, the results showed that the histamine content of the experimental fish sauce was reduced by about 25–30% compared to the fish sauce sample without the addition of the bacterial preparation mixture. The sensory and nutritional indicators of the finished fish sauce did not differ significantly from the type without the preparation.

Next, the project team coordinated with Nam Dinh Seafood Processing Joint Stock Company (Hai Hau district, Nam Dinh province) to organize the production and obtained 13,464 liters of anchovy fish sauce. Through inspection, this fish sauce meets the quality and food safety regulations. According to current regulations, the histamine index in the fish sauce has been controlled (<400 mg).

In the coming time, the research team hopes to deploy a pilot production project for the technological process of producing halophilic bacteria, decomposing histamine, and the technological process of producing fish sauce using a scale of 5,000 kg of raw materials per batch to create traditional fish sauce products that ensure quality and are capable of export.

According to the assessment of the Project Acceptance Council established by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the research process and results of the project were carried out meticulously, closely following the set goals and requirements. The quantity, volume, and types of products of the project met and exceeded the contract signed with the Ministry of Industry and Trade. In particular, the products of the project met the requirements in terms of science and practice, have high applicability, and have very good commercial potential.

Dr. Dang Tat Thanh, Chief Expert of the Department of Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and Trade, commented: Fish sauce is a condiment commonly used in daily meals, so the demand and ability to circulate and commercialize the fish sauce products produced by the project will be very large.

The highlight of the project is the successful application of histamine-degrading bacteria found in traditional fish sauce, creating a good competitive advantage when the product is commercialized.