Biogenic Amines and Aflatoxins in Some Imported Meat Products: Incidence, Occurrence, and Public Health Impacts

Abstract

Background. Since the beginning of humanity, the global burden of foodborne disease has had a decimating effect on populations, with biogenic amines (BAs) and aflatoxins in meat products implicated. While many developed countries have legitimized safety levels for BAs using evidence-based guidelines to attain high food quality standards for consumers of meat products, developing countries are still battling against poor food quality checking. Purpose. This study examines the level of health risk of biogenic amines and aflatoxin in meat products by extracting and estimating their residues and determining their indices as a way of monitoring the potential health impacts of these residues on consumers of meat products. Methods. A total of 40 imported meat products sampled and randomly collected, representing imported luncheon meat, hot dog sausages, corned beef, and minced meat. Using recommended laboratory protocols, eight residues of BAs and aflatoxins were extracted. Results. Eight BAs, histamine, tyramine, tryptamine, cadaverine, putrescine, β-phenyl ethylamine, spermine, and spermidine, were extracted and determined in all tested samples. Tyramine levels in luncheon meat were found to be significantly higher than in other meat products, while significantly high cadaverine levels were reported in corned beef samples. The results of biogenic amine index (BAI) revealed that the quality of imported minced meat and imported hot dog samples was good (BAI < 5 mg/kg), while imported luncheon meat and imported corned beef samples remained acceptable (BAI 5–20 mg/kg). Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was detected higher than the permissible limit (>5 µg/kg) in imported luncheon meat and imported hot dog meat samples. Conclusion. The general results indicate that testing meat products for biogenic amines and aflatoxins is a very good indicator for monitoring the freshness and quality of meat products.

Histamine contents in raw long-ripening meat products commercially available in Poland

“…This means that fresh meat also can be a source of histamine intoxication for consumers, especially given that thermal processes are known not to eliminate histamine ( 11 ). In fresh meat products (those not ripened), histamine was detected in the range of 0.63–1.41 mg/kg ( 1 ). The occurrence of the high level of histamine in ripening meat products may be a significant sign of problems in raw materials and/or production process conditions (temperature, humidity and hygiene).…”

Biogenic Amines as Serious Residues in Some Meat Products Marketed in Qalyubia, Egypt.

“…It may be related to the selection of bad quality raw materials or the use of starter cultures during the manufacturing (Roselino et al, 2020) of sausage which may affect biogenic amines contents in the final products. Furthermore, the presence of other conditions that enhance the microbial load and decarboxylase activity during the processing such as the unfavorable temperatures during processing, the variation of the manufacturing process, pH, insufficient handling and hygienic conditions, additives, refrigeration, packaging, processing time, and the shelf life and storage conditions during the period stayed in stores which influenced the formation of biogenic amines (Algahtani et al, 2020). According to obtained results of histamine recorded for the examined meat products, they relatively agree to some extent with those obtained by El-Shewey et al (2003) and Hefny (2014) who recorded that the histamine levels in minced meat samples were 11.6 mg/Kg, and 12.8 mg/Kg, respectively.…”

Toxic Effect of Aflatoxins in Dogs Fed Contaminated Commercial Dry Feed: A Review

“…Cereals used in the formulation of CDF may contain high levels of AF contamination (0.48-1.081 µg/kg), making them the most likely sources of aflatoxin contamination [58,59]. AFB 1 is the most abundant form in open sampling CDF trials, with values that vary widely (<0.5 and 4.946 µg/kg) [8,60]. CDF is classified into economic, premium, or super premium types of dog feeds according to the nutritional quality of the ingredients, but this classification does not guarantee that it is an AF-free product because they are found in all types of CDF [20,61,62].…”