Reduction of Trimethylamine Off-Odor by Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated from Korean Traditional Fermented Food and Their In Situ Application

Abstract

Trimethylamine (TMA) is an organic and volatile fatty amine known to cause acute health problems such as pulmonary stimulation, eye irritation, and liver failure [1]. The source of TMA is a nitrogenous organic compound named trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO). TMAO is an oxidized form of TMA isolated from seawater and known to present in large quantities in fish muscle and tissue [2][3][4]. Most marine fish and shellfish have mechanisms for digesting TMAO, usually by the osmoregulation process. Similarly, in frozen saltwater fish, TMAO is reduced to dimethylamine (DMA) and formaldehyde products by the action of endogenous enzymes, whereas TMAO content in fresh or iced fish is reduced to trimethylamine (TMA) by the metabolic activity of bacteria and bacterial enzymes [2,5,6]. Previous studies reported that several bacterial species such as Pseudomonas sp., Vibrio sp., and Bacillus sp. have properties that metabolically convert TMAO into TMA [7]. Being volatile, TMA constitutes one of the major components of fish off-odor. Hence, in the current scenario, the detection of TMA off-odor released from fish or shellfish is used as an indicator of their freshness. Previous studies reported several methods for the reduction of TMA such as microbubble treatment using supercritical CO 2 [8], application of an active charcoal [9-11], and physio-chemical extraction process [12,13]. Similarly, another approach for the reduction of TMA is the re-oxidation of TMAO by the action of TMA monooxygenase (TMO) present in mammals and microorganisms [14]. The TMO enzyme produced by organisms such as Aminobacter aminovorans, Roseovarius sp., Homo sapiens, and Methylocella silvestris is registered in the BRENDA enzyme portal (Braunschweig Enzyme Database, http://www.brenda-enzymes.org). Lidbury et al. [15] reported that Roseobacter pomeroyi utilized TMA and TMAO for the synthesis of energy in the form of ATP, which supports cell growth and survival. In the diverse range of food products, there are numerous beneficial bacterial species, such as lactic acid bacteria (LAB), as well as non-beneficial bacterial species that are known to exist. Hence, the isolation of beneficial bacterial species with TMA reduction properties would be considered economically useful and ecofriendly. Thus, based on the available information, the present study aimed to isolate and identify LAB with metabolic activity for the reduction of TMA. Furthermore, in the present study, these potential LAB isolates were also successfully applied for in situ reduction of the TMA content in spoiled fish samples.Trimethylamine (TMA) is a well-known off-odor compound in fish and fishery products and is a metabolic product of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) generated by the enzymatic action of microorganisms. The off-odor is a factor that can debase the value of fish and fishery products. The present study aimed to remove TMA using lactic acid bacteria (LAB). A total of fifteen isolates exhibiting the TMA reduction efficacy were isolated from Korean traditional fermented foods. Among t...

Dysfunction of cecal microbiota and CutC activity in mice mediating diarrhea with kidney-yang deficiency syndrome

“…Ligilactobacillus , a probiotic producing lactic acid in the gut, is associated with various health benefits and diarrhea alleviation. Studies have shown that bacterial-produced lactic acid can significantly reduce TMA levels ( An et al, 2011 ; Park et al, 2020 ; Guerrero Sanchez et al, 2022 ), and CutC activity directly influences the production of TMA, a precursor to TMAO. It can be inferred that Ligilactobacillus may inhibit CutC activity and reduce TMA production by generating lactic acid.…”

Impacts of pH and Base Substitution during Deaerator Treatments of Herring Milt Hydrolysate on the Odorous Content and the Antioxidant Activity

“…The treatment developed in the case of TMA removal seems to be of higher performance than reported in the literature. Indeed, Park et al (2020) [10] observed that lactic acid bacteria were able to remove up to 62% of the TMA content of spoiled fish, while Jo et al ( 2021) [11] instead identified the use of such microorganisms as a strategy to prevent the formation of TMA in ribbonfish fillets. Similarly, the use of tea polyphenols in clam hydrolysate was identified as a strategy to prevent the formation of TMA [7].…”

“…To overcome off-flavors in marine resources, several deodorization strategies have already been proposed including fermentation, use of antioxidants, and adsorption processes [7,[10][11][12][13]. Even if these strategies have demonstrated their relevance at different degrees, they all seem to be associated with drawbacks, thus hampering their extensive use.…”

Gut microbiota dependant trimethylamine N-oxide and hypertension

“…While Lactobacilli species belongs to the Firmicutes phylum, these bacteria seem to reduce TMAO levels to prevent atherosclerosis and hypertension by unknown exact mechanisms ( Zhao et al, 2021 ). However, as aforementioned, marine studies have established that the lactic acid produced by the bacteria is able to significantly reduce trimethylamine levels ( Park et al, 2020 ), and the bacterial species are not included among those containing the choline trimethylamine-lyase ( CutC ) and its activating enzyme CutD gene responsible for TMAO production ( Kalnins et al, 2015 ; Romano et al, 2015 ; Rath et al, 2017 ). A human study assessing the benefit of Lactobacili was a randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled study which showed that consumption of Lactobacillus helveticus fermented milk product reduced systolic blood pressure by 5.2 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure by 2.0 mmHg in 46 borderline hypertensive men ( Mizushima et al, 2004 ).…”