Impact of Biogenic Amines on Food Quality and Safety

Abstract

Today, food safety and quality are some of the main concerns of consumer and health agencies around the world. Our current lifestyle and market globalization have led to an increase in the number of people affected by food poisoning. Foodborne illness and food poisoning have different origins (bacteria, virus, parasites, mold, contaminants, etc.), and some cases of food poisoning can be traced back to chemical and natural toxins. One of the toxins targeted by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is the biogenic amine histamine. Biogenic amines (BAs) in food constitute a potential public health concern due to their physiological and toxicological effects. The consumption of foods containing high concentrations of biogenic amines has been associated with health hazards. In recent years there has been an increase in the number of food poisoning cases associated with BAs in food, mainly in relation to histamines in fish. We need to gain a better understanding of the origin of foodborne disease and how to control it if we expect to keep people from getting ill. Biogenic amines are found in varying concentrations in a wide range of foods (fish, cheese, meat, wine, beer, vegetables, etc.), and BA formation is influenced by different factors associated with the raw material making up food products, microorganisms, processing, and conservation conditions. Moreover, BAs are thermostable. Biogenic amines also play an important role as indicators of food quality and/or acceptability. Hence, BAs need to be controlled in order to ensure high levels of food quality and safety. All of these aspects will be addressed in this review.

Changes of bioactive compounds in barley industry by‐products during submerged and solid state fermentation with antimicrobial Pediococcus acidilactici strain LUHS29

“…There are many reasons to prevent the accumulation of BAs in fermented products, mainly related to their utility as food quality indicators and their potential implications for consumer health. Controlling these compounds implies a deep understanding of the formation, monitoring and reduction of BAs during the processing and storage of food, and even of the effects of BAs in consumers after the digestion of foods containing different levels of these compounds (Ruiz-Capillas & Herrero, 2019). The presence of BAs in a substrate is dependent both on contamination by decarboxylating microorganisms, on the availability of precursors (proteins and/or FAA), and on different intrinsic, environmental, and technological factors (Gardini et al, 2016).…”

“…Bas are harmful substances generated during the fermentation process. Controlling these compounds implies a deep understanding of the formation, monitoring and reduction of BAs during the processing and storage of food, and even of the effects of BAs in consumers after the digestion of foods containing different levels of these compounds(Ruiz-Capillas & Herrero, 2019). There are many reasons to prevent the accumulation of BAs in fermented products, mainly related to their utility as food quality indicators and their potential implications for consumer health.…”

Catabolism of biogenic amines in Pseudomonas species

“…They also protect the bacteria against radiations and oxidative stress and participate in biofilm formation, in the development of mechanisms of antibiotic resistance and in pathogenesis (Maeda et al, 2006;Patel et al, 2006;Kwon and Lu, 2007;Shah and Swiatlo, 2008;Williams et al, 2010). It has been reported recently that certain amines generated by commensal gut microbes are involved in molecular signalling and are related to different syndromes (depression, anxiety, psychosis), highlighting the importance of the 'microbial-gut-brain' axis (Oleskin and Shenderov, 2019;Ruiz-Capillas and Herrero, 2019;Sudo, 2019).…”

“…Although there are many nitrogen containing organic compounds that could be considered as BAs, in this review, we will only focus on study of the compounds indicated in Fig. 1 which are defined by many authors as classical BAs (Smith, 1981;ten Brink et al, 1990;Arias et al, 2008;Arcos et al, 2010;de la Torre et al, 2018;Barbieri et al, 2019;Ruiz-Capillas and Herrero, 2019;Sudo, 2019).…”

“…In humans, certain bioamines are of endogenous origin (epinephrine, norepinephrine, DA and, serotonin) whereas others (2-phenylethylamine, tyramine, histamine, putrescine, cadaverine, spermine and spermidine) can be either synthesized by different tissues or by commensal gut microbes (endogenous) or ingested with the diet (exogenous BAs). The latter come from foods of vegetable or fermented origin (fish, meat, eggs, cheeses, beverages) because of the microbial activity during food processing or storage (Smith, 1981;ten Brink et al, 1990;Silla Santos, 1998;Ladero et al, 2010;Suzzi and Torriani, 2015;Barbieri et al, 2019;Ruiz-Capillas and Herrero, 2019;Santiyanont et al, 2019). In fact, the presence of BAs in foods serves as an indicator of the degree of spoilage caused by undesired microbial flora.…”