Biogenic amines in fermented foods

International audienceFood-fermenting lactic acid bacteria (LAB) are generally considered to be non-toxic and non-pathogenic. Some species of LAB, however, can produce biogenic amines (BAs). BAs are organic, basic, nitrogenous compounds, mainly formed through decarboxylation of amino acids. BAs are present in a wide range of foods, including dairy products, and can occasionally accumulate in high concentrations. The consumption of food containing large amounts of these amines can have toxicological consequences. Although there is no specific legislation regarding BA content in many fermented products, it is generally assumed that they should not be allowed to accumulate. The ability of microorganisms to decarboxylate amino acids is highly variable, often being strain specific, and therefore the detection of bacteria possessing amino acid decarboxylase activity is important to estimate the likelihood that foods contain BA and to prevent their accumulation in food products. Moreover, improved knowledge of the factors involved in the synthesis and accumulation of BA should lead to a reduction in their incidence in foods

Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Triple Quadruple Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-TQ/MS) for Evaluation of Biogenic Amines in Wine

In this study, a fast, simple, and sensitive analytical method for direct determination of biogenic amines tryptamine, putrescine, histamine, phenylethylamine, tyramine, cadaverine, spermine, and spermidine in wine has been developed and validated. Detection of analytes was performed with ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled to triple quadruple mass spectrometer (TQ/MS). The calibration curves of all amines were linear with correlation coefficients (R2) ranging from 0.9906 for putrescine to 0.9998 for histamine and 2-phenyethylamine. The accuracy of the method was checked with a standard addition method, showing good accuracy, repeatability, and reproducibility (RSD < 10%). The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) ranged from 0.50 to 30 μg/L and 1.50 to 90 μg/L, respectively, for all amines. The validated method was applied to detect and quantify biogenic amines in Macedonian red and white wines. Higher concentration of amines was observed in red wines (5797 μg/L, on average) compared to the white wines (1485 μg/L, on average)