Overview

Food Processing Protocols

A DIY food processing system for reducing histamine and salicylate load in ingredients that would otherwise be off-limits for MCAS/salicylate-sensitive individuals.

The Core Problem

Many flavorful, nutritious ingredients are problematic due to:

• High histamine content (fermented foods, aged ingredients, some fruits)
• High salicylates (herbs, spices, many fruits)
• Sometimes both (cherries, some berries)
• Lectins (beans, lentils) — addressed separately via pressure cooking, not these protocols

The Two Protocols

Method Z — Zeolite Histamine Removal

For high-histamine aqueous ingredients (fruit juices, soy sauce, etc.)

• Zeolite selectively binds histamine via cation exchange
• Centrifuge removes zeolite pellet
• Aqueous phase (flavor) is kept

Method A — Salicylate Removal

For high-salicylate ingredients where flavor compounds are more water/alcohol soluble than salicylates

• Everclear + cheap oil extraction
• Centrifuge separates phases
• Oil (containing salicylates) is discarded
• Alcohol/aqueous phase (containing flavor) is kept

Stacking the Protocols

Some ingredients require both. Run Method Z first, then Method A:

Ingredient	Histamine	Salicylates	Protocol
Cherries	High	High	Z then A
Peaches	Moderate	Moderate	Z or A or both
Soy sauce	High	None	Z only
Oregano	Low	Very High	A only
Herbs/spices generally	Low	High	A only
Freeze dried berry powders	High	High	Z then A
Aged cheese (cheddar, gouda, etc.)	High	Low	Alcohol extraction + Z recirculation → sodium citrate

Equipment

• Centrifuge — essential for clean phase separation. Swinging bucket rotor preferred. ~$100-200.
• Food-grade zeolite (clinoptilolite) — ~$20-40, rechargeable with salt water
• Cheap neutral oil (refined coconut, generic vegetable) — extraction oil for Method A, discarded after use
• Everclear — helps liberate bound flavor compounds for Method A; also primary solvent for cheese histamine extraction
• Sodium citrate (food grade) — emulsifying salt for processed cheese production. ~$10-12 on Amazon.
• Magnesium sulfate (food grade) — optional drying agent for kept aqueous phase
• Small vials or ice cube trays — for portioning finished product

Zeolite Recharging

Zeolite is reusable. After use:

1. Rinse spent zeolite
2. Soak in saturated NaCl solution several hours
3. Rinse thoroughly
4. Dry
5. Ready to reuse

Note: recharging loads sodium ions — fine for food applications.

Related Projects

• Recipe — primary application for processed fruit juice as flavoring
• Overview — colorimeter project for measuring salicylates/histamine in food
• Cheese Protocol — alcohol extraction + zeolite recirculation for histamine-reduced processed cheese