Biogenic Amines in Wine: Understanding the Headache

Abstract

The presence of biogenic amines in wine is becoming increasingly important to consumers and producers alike, due to the potential threats of toxicity to humans and consequent trade implications. In the scientific field, biogenic amines have the potential to be applied as indicators of food spoilage and/or authenticity. Biogenic amines can be formed from their respective amino acid precursors by various microorganisms present in the wine, at any stage of production, ageing or storage. To understand the large number of factors that could influence the formation of biogenic amines, the chemical, biochemical, enzymatic and genetic properties relating to these compounds have to be considered. Analytical and molecular methods to detect biogenic amines in wine, as well as possibilities that could enable better control over their production levels in wine will also be explored in this review.

Optimization and validation of a derivatization method for analysis of biogenic amines in wines using RP-HPLC-DAD

“…SPD and SPM were present in low ranges for red wines (0.04-0.21 mg/l and 0.62 to 1.25 mg/l, respectively), while in white wines, SPD was detected only in Riesling wine and SPM was not quantified. These results are similar to other reported results for biogenic amines in wines [5,21,25].…”

“…biogenic amines increase with increase in amino acids). Grape variety, geographical region, vintage as well as vinification methods also influence the levels of amino acids in grapes, and then in the corresponding wine [25]. In our wines, histamine was found in all red wines, ranging from 0.07 to 4.07 mg/l, which is lower than the upper limits established in Belgium (6 mg/l), in France (8 mg/l) or in Switzerland (10 mg/l) [7,8].…”

“…In the Republic of Macedonia, the maximal content of biogenic amines in wines has not yet been officially established. The biogenic amines that have toxicological effects (HIST, TYR, TRP and PEA) [9,12,16,17,25] were in the ranges: 1.20-9.62 mg/l for TYR, 0.07-4.30 mg/l for HIST, 0.93-15.0 mg/l for PEA and 1.20-9.40 mg/l for TRP. PUT and CAD were also found in red wines at higher concentrations than in white wines and the quantities were in the following ranges: PUT: 10.3 mg/l to 16.6 mg/l for red wines and 0.37 to 8.68 mg/l for white wines; and CAD: 0.06 to 1.26 mg/l and 0.13 to 0.21 mg/l for the red and white wines, respectively.…”

“…Sometimes, biogenic amines show correlation with the spoilage of wine and associate with other wine spoilage components for example butyric acid, lactic acid, acetic acid, ethyl acetate and diethyl succinate [4][5][6][7]25]. An increase in the levels of biogenic amines in wines usually occurs towards the end of the malolactic fermentation (MLF) or during maturation, when lactobacilli and pediococci are the main culprits [6].…”

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

“…At high concentrations, they may be responsible for undesirable toxicological effects, such as headache, respiratory distress, heart palpitation, hypotension, hypertension, nausea, and dizziness (EFSA 2011). Tyramine alone, or with 2-phenylethylamine, causes headache due to their vasoconstrictive properties, while histamine, except headaches, causes low blood pressure, heart palpitations, edema, vomiting, and diarrhea (Littlewood et al 1988;Smit et al 2008). These effects depend on the individual sensitivity and simultaneous presence of co-factors such as ethanol, drugs, or other biogenic amines (Lonvaud-Funel 2001;Marcobal et al 2006).…”