Biogenic Amines and Free Amino Acids in Traditional Fermented Vegetables—Dietary Risk Evaluation

Abstract

Biogenic amines (BAs) are low molecular weight organic bases. BAs occurring naturally in living organisms are responsible for a number of vital functions, including (in humans) secretion of gastric acids, controlling body temperature, differentiation and growth of cells, immune reactions, and brain activity. However, if oversupplied with food, BAs may cause food poisoning and produce undesirable effects. Nine BAs and eight free amino acids (FAAs) were determined in 85 samples of 19 different varieties of fermented vegetables available on the Polish retail market. Both BA and FAA levels differed significantly among various varieties of the studied fermented vegetables. Averages for the sum of all tested BAs ranged from 30.29 ± 16.43 mg·kg–1 in fermented olives to 612.1 ± 359.33 mg·kg–1 in fermented Brussels sprout. BA profiles were dominated by putrescine (42%), tyramine (20%), cadaverine (18%), and histamine (8%); jointly, the four amines amounted to 88% of all nine studied BAs. The combined level of the latter four BAs was calculated for each vegetable variety as the so-called BA index (BAI). On that basis, the risk of BA-related adverse health effects has been assessed as high/medium/low in 6/3/10 of all 19 studied varieties of fermented vegetables. Brussels sprout and broccoli turned out to be the most risky vegetables from that point of view (BAI above 400 mg·kg–1). FAA levels ranged from 54.8 ± 12.76 (fermented olives) to 3917.42 ± 1528.73 mg·kg–1 (fermented garlic). The high content of FAAs may increase the risk of forming toxic amounts of BAs, depending on characteristics of the current and added microflora as well as on environmental and technological conditions the product is subjected to.

Biogenic amines: formation, action and toxicity – a review

“…Among BAs, there are two amines with the most toxic effects: histamine and tyramine 19 . Histamine is a heterocyclic monoamine that causes characteristic symptoms after eating fish with a high content.…”

“…The only amines naturally occurring in food are spermine and spermidine, whereas the others accumulate under the influence of microorganisms, so that indices based on BA content are used to determine microbiological quality. The sum of individual amines can be a marker of the hygienic state of food 18,19 . The indices may include quality index and biogenic amine index (BAI) 40 .…”

“…As a result of the toxicity of BAs and consumer health protection, studies were carried out aiming to reduce the content of BAs in different products. These methods are based on increasing the proportion of factors adverse for amine formation; for example, temperature reduction, lactic acid addition to lower the pH, NaCl addition to maintain product shelf life, use of bacterial cultures (amine reducing, decarboxylase negative strains or strains limiting the growth of decarboxylase positive strains), addition of microorganisms growth limiting substances (phytobiotics, plant extracts and oils, preservatives) or the use of food preservation methods (pasteurization, smoking, radiation, high pressure, use of new food packaging methods) 12,13,19,27,28,49,52–54 …”

“…However, the most serious problem is the consumption of antidepressants, which are among the MAO and DAO inhibitors, with an estimated 20% of the population taking antidepressants in Europe 28 . In addition, BA can be deposited in the body's tissues, comprising a serious toxic problem for maintaining the good health status of the population 19,23,28,30 …”

Phenanthridine‐Based Donor/Acceptor Fluorescent Dyes: Synthesis, Photophysical Properties and Fluorometric Sensing of Biogenic Primary Amines

“…The development of analytical methods for the detection of amines such as biogenic amines (BAs) has attracted considerable attention due to their critical analytes present in pharmaceutical, agricultural and food processing effluents [1–21] . BAs are biologically active monoamines or polyamines which are naturally produced in the human cells by the removal of the alpha carboxylic functional group present in the amino acid during an enzymatic reaction.…”