Occurrence and Reduction of Biogenic Amines in Kimchi and Korean Fermented Seafood Products

Abstract

Biogenic amines produced during fermentation may be harmful when ingested in high concentrations. As current regulations remain insufficient to ensure the safety of fermented vegetable products, the current study determined the risks associated with the consumption of kimchi by evaluating the biogenic amine concentrations reported by various studies. Upon evaluation, some kimchi products were found to contain histamine and tyramine at potentially hazardous concentrations exceeding the recommended limit of 100 mg/kg for both histamine and tyramine. The biogenic amines may have originated primarily from metabolic activity by microorganisms during fermentation, as well as from Jeotgal (Korean fermented seafood) and Aekjeot (Korean fermented fish sauce) products commonly used as ingredients for kimchi production. Many studies have suggested that Jeotgal and Aekjeot may contribute to the histamine and tyramine content in kimchi. Microorganisms isolated from kimchi and Jeotgal have been reported to produce both histamine and tyramine. Despite the potential toxicological risks, limited research has been conducted on reducing the biogenic amine content of kimchi and Jeotgal products. The regulation and active monitoring of biogenic amine content during kimchi production appear to be necessary to ensure the safety of the fermented vegetable products.

Quantification of Biogenic Amines in 35 Korean Cottage Industry Traditional Gochujang (Fermented Red Pepper Paste) Products

“…The number of BAs in different fermented foods varies and is associated with the type of available amino acids, the presence of BA-forming bacteria, and different factors that affect microbial activity, such as appropriate pH, temperature, water activity, and time [10]. During the fermentation of gochujang, the native microbes convert the protein-rich raw materials (soybean in the meju) into different types of BAs, such as histamine, tyramine, β-phenylethylamine, tryptamine, putrescine, and cadaverine, as a result of the putrefactive process of proteins [11].…”

Anti-aging skin and antioxidant assays of protein hydrolysates obtained from salted shrimp fermented with Salinivibrio cibaria BAO-01

“…Fermented fish products are a rich source of bioactive peptides. During the fermentation process, cleavage of food proteins by microbial or indigenous proteases yields bioactive peptides, leading to a substantial increase in the biological activity of the food [7]. Over the last decade, many peptides have been identified in fermented fish foods and have been shown to exhibit activities such as antihypertensive, antimicrobial, obesity control, immunomodulatory, anticancer, antithrombotic, opioid, and antioxidant [8,10].…”

Analysis of Cultivable Microbial Community during Kimchi Fermentation Using MALDI-TOF MS

“…Kimchi is known to have health-promoting effects, such as anti-oxidative and anti-aging effects [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ]. It is fermented in the unsterilized natural environment, leading to the growth of various microorganisms.…”