Update on Biogenic Amines in Fermented and Non-Fermented Beverages

Abstract

The formation of biogenic amines in food and beverages is mainly due to the presence of proteins and/or free amino acids that represent the substrates for microbial or natural enzymes with decarboxylation or amination activity. Fermentation occurring in many alcoholic beverages, such as wine, beer, cider, liqueurs, as well as coffee and tea, is one of the main processes affecting their production. Some biogenic amines can also be naturally present in some fruit juices or fruit-based drinks. The dietary intake of such compounds should consider all their potential sources by both foods and drinks, taking in account the health impact on some consumers that represent categories at risk for a deficient metabolic activity or assuming inhibiting drugs. The most important tool to avoid their adverse effects is based on prevention through the selection of lactic acid bacteria with low decarboxylating activity or good manufacturing practices hurdling the favoring conditions on biogenic amines’ production.

Microbial toxins in fermented foods: health implications and analytical techniques for detection

“…LAB produce amino-acid decarboxylase enzymes which convert amino acids to biogenic amines. The presence of biogenic amines in foods can cause intoxication symptoms such as heart palpitations, redness, headaches, vertigo, and altered blood pressure and can be fatal at high concentrations [ 12 ] ( Fig. 1 ).…”

“…Korean fermented foods, such as doenjang (fermented soybean paste), have also been reported for tyramine toxicity with concentrations up to 1430.7 mg/kg [ 24 ]. The Gram-positive bacteria Enterococcus (E. faecalis and E. faecium) and Lactobacillus species (Latilactobacillus curvatus and Levilactobacillus brevis) are the major groups responsible for tyramine formation and accumulation in fermented foods [ 12 ]. Carnobacterium, Leuconostoc, Staphylococcus , and Lactococcus can also contribute to tyramine toxicity in fermented foods.…”

“…Primers are then designed using these similar sequences to amplify a DNA fragment that is then used as a probe in a whole-cell dot-blot hybridization assay. However, this method also yields false results [ 12 ].…”

Starter culture-related changes in free amino acids, biogenic amines profile, and antioxidant properties of fermented red beetroot grown in Poland

“…BA are nitrogen compounds, naturally occurring in microorganisms, plants, and animals, with high biological activity and that can exert a harmful effect on human health when consumed in excess. They are formed through the decarboxylation of their respective amino acid precursors by various microorganisms through substrate-specific decarboxylase enzymes or by amination and transamination of aldehydes and ketones 14 , 15 . For example, tyramine, histamine, phenylethylamine, tryptamine, and cadaverine are formed from tyrosine, histidine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, and lysine, respectively 16 .…”

Influence of Brewing Process on the Profile of Biogenic Amines in Craft Beers

“…Several analytical methods for the determination of BAs have been reported by several authors [ 18 , 19 ]. Among them, reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) with UV-Vis [ 20 ] or fluorimetric [ 21 ] detection is the most popular method for accurate quantitative analysis of BAs and is considered a reference methodology by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) [ 15 ].…”