Histamine in Australian wines—a survey between 1982 and 2009

Abstract

Biogenic amines are found in a range of fermented foods and beverages, including wine. Absorption of these compounds in elevated concentrations may induce headaches, gastro-intestinal and respiratory distress. The main biogenic amines found in wine are histamine, tyramine, cadaverine and putrescine. Even though concentrations of histamine in wine are generally ten-fold lower than found in some fresh and other fermented foods, their presence may contribute to an adverse reaction when consumed in combination with other histamine-containing foods. It is well established that the main contribution of biogenic amines in wines is from lactic acid bacteria metabolism, especially during or after malolactic fermentation (MLF). A survey for histamine content of Australian red and white wines produced during 1982-1990 demonstrated a wide range of concentrations (mean 1.58 and 0.21 mg/L, respectively). A second survey of histamine content in red and white wines produced during 2003-2009 (mean 1.75 and 0.59 mg/L, respectively) showed that there were minimal changes in the mean histamine concentration over the period of the two sets of wines. All 238 Australian wines from 1982-1990 and 99 of 100 wines from 2003-2009 were below the former regulatory recommended limit of 10 mg/L for histamine in wine and were low compared to other wineproducing countries. Seven other biogenic amines measured in the Australian wines from 2003-2009 also had low means compared to other wine-producing countries.

Emerging trends in the application of malolactic fermentation

“…An additional potential benefit of using L. plantarum strains for MLF is that they have the ability to degrade biogenic amines (Capozzi et al 2010, García-Ruiz et al 2011), many of which have negative health implications (Bartowsky and Stockley 2011).…”

Adverse food reactions from consuming wine

“…). These amounts are far in excess of those observed in wine, for example the mean histamine concentration of Australian red and white wines surveyed from 2003 to 2009 was 1.75 and 0.59 mg/L, respectively (Bartowsky and Stockley ). Indeed, the amount of histamine observed in wine is generally tenfold less than that measured in other foodstuffs associated with physiological responses (Malone and Metcalfe , Peña‐Gallego et al.…”

“…Indeed, the amount of histamine observed in wine is generally tenfold less than that measured in other foodstuffs associated with physiological responses (Malone and Metcalfe , Peña‐Gallego et al. , Bartowsky and Stockley ). Furthermore, a double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study showed that there was no correlation between the histamine concentration of wine and adverse food reactions (Kanny et al.…”

“…It has been established that red wine generally exhibits a concentration of histamine higher than that of white wine, which is partly attributed to the greater use of malolactic (secondary) fermentation in red wine (Vidal‐Carou et al. ), but the concentration in red wine is generally below the Swiss legal limit of 10 mg/kg for histamine in wine (Bartowsky and Stockley ).…”

Aislamiento y caracterización de bacterias lácticas enológicas productoras de aminas biógenas

“…Diversos autores que han evaluado AB en diferentes tipos de vinos (tintos, blancos y rosados) han coincidido que la mayor cantidad de aminas se encuentra presente en los vinos tintos (Zee et al 1983;Lehtonen 1996;Vázquez Lasa et al 1998;Leitão et al 2005;Bartowsky & Stockley 2010;Martuscelli et al 2013).…”