Recently, more and more blogs, posts, and advertisements have appeared claiming that bone broth “contains a lot of histamine because of prolonged cooking.” Meat broth is often presented as a supposedly safer alternative. Although that may sound logical, it is not scientifically correct.
In fact, this claim is being widely copied online without any scientific basis. It is a classic example of internet myths keeping themselves alive because no one checks whether they are true.
That is why this blog covers the facts, the science, and why prolonged cooking does not cause a histamine problem at all—but old meat does.
What is histamine and how does it form?
Histamine is a biogenic amine that forms when bacteria convert the amino acid histidine through an enzyme called histidine decarboxylase.
➡️ That means: without bacteria, there is no histamine.
➡️ Histamine is not produced by cooking, and certainly not by prolonged cooking.
The bacteria that produce histamine grow on:
- Old or poorly chilled meat or fish
- Meat that has been at room temperature for a long time
- Products processed unhygienically
Once formed, histamine remains present even after cooking—it is heat-stable. But cooking itself does not produce histamine.
What does cooking do to histamine?
Research shows:
- Cooking reduces or stabilizes histamine levels.
- Grilling or frying sometimes increases histamine concentrations, mainly due to water evaporation.
- When cooking broth (even for 24–48 hours), histamine remains stable if you use fresh ingredients.
Long cooking therefore does not increase histamine. If you work with fresh bones, prolonged simmering is not a problem at all.
So where does histamine come from?
Very simply: bacterial growth before cooking.
If you use meat or bones that:
- have not been chilled immediately
- remain in the refrigerator for too long
- already been prepackaged or marinated… then bacteria have the opportunity to produce histamine.
And that histamine remains even if you then cook it for hours. So the problem lies in the quality and freshness of the ingredients, not the cooking time.
Why meat broth actually carries more risk
Some brands suggest that meat broth is “safer” than bone broth. But that is not true.
💡 Meat is more susceptible to bacterial growth than bones.
💡 Ground or marinated meat in particular often already contains elevated histamine levels.
Bones, especially when stored frozen, contain much less moisture and muscle tissue where bacteria can be active. So if you use fresh or immediately frozen bones and work hygienically, bone broth is safe and low in histamine.
Why you find so much inaccurate information online
The claim that “bone broth contains a lot of histamine because of prolonged cooking” is repeatedly copied, often without any sources. Many blogs cite one another, sometimes verbatim, without checking the facts. The result? One false story becomes “truth” across hundreds of websites.
Meanwhile, some companies use these myths to promote their own products (bone broth, powder, supplements…) as “histamine-friendly,” even though this is not scientifically accurate.
What does the science really say?
A few examples:
- "Histamine is produced during microbial spoilage by decarboxylation of histidine and is not destroyed by cooking." – US FDA, Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, 4th Edition
- “Histamine content is more influenced by microbial activity in raw materials than by thermal processing.” – EFSA Journal, 2011
- “Boiling reduces or maintains histamine levels; only pre-existing contamination affects final content.” – Doeun et al., Food Control, 2013
These and other studies are clear: the freshness of the ingredient determines the histamine level, not the cooking time.
How can you avoid histamine in broth?
Simple:
-
Always use fresh bones
Buy them fresh or frozen, and process them quickly. -
Never leave meat or bones at room temperature
Not even for a few hours. Bacteria act quickly. -
Store your broth safely
Refrigerate within 2 hours after cooling, or freeze immediately. -
Avoid leftover meat with a questionable smell or color
These may already contain histamine before cooking.
What do we do at HANT?
At HANT, we use only fresh, halal-slaughtered beef bones that are deep-frozen immediately upon receipt. Our bone broth is slowly simmered for 32 hours under controlled conditions.
After preparation, the broth is heated in an industrial autoclave—a device that uses pressurized steam, similar to a sterilization process in the medical field. Although an autoclave does not break down histamine (because histamine is heat-resistant), it does significantly improve food safety and shelf life. No bacteria capable of producing histamine can survive after packaging.
And for those who want certainty: we had our products tested by an accredited laboratory. The results show no elevated histamine levels in our broth.
👉 View the analysis report here
👉 View all lab results here