Biogenic amines (BA) are non-volatile low- molecular-weight nitrogenous organic bases, derived through decarboxylation of corresponding amino acids. More studies are needed in order to prove their feasibility and technological relevance during the production of fermented foods.

1. SUPERVISOR
Dr. ARVIND
PRESENTED BY
SUKHVEER SINGH
FST- 13211
CENTRE OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHONOLOGY
BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY
VARANASI-221005
Course seminar
On
BIOGENIC AMINES IN FERMENTED FOOD

2. INTRODUCTION
 Biogenic amines (BA) are non-volatile low- molecular-weight
nitrogenous organic bases, derived through decarboxylation of
corresponding amino acids.
 They can be both formed and degraded as a result of normal
metabolic activities in humans, animals, plants and
microorganisms.
 The responsible enzymes, amino acid decarboxylases, are
widely present in spoilage and other food microorganism.

3. OCCURENCE OF BIOGENIC AMINES
 Foods likely to contain high levels of biogenic amines include
fish, fish products and fermented foodstuffs (meat, beers, red
wine & wines).
 These active amines are also present in a variety of food
products like chocolate, sauerkraut & some vegetable, mature
cheese & dairy etc.
 BA may be of endogenous origin at low concentrations in non-
fermented food such as fruits, vegetables, meat, milk and fish.

4. AMINES SYNTHESIZING ORGANISM
The production of BA has been associated with yeast, Gram-
negative and Gram-positive bacteria.
For Example:
Debaryomyces hansenii,
Yarrowia lipolytica,
Pichia jadinii
Geotrichum candidum

5. Synthesis of biogenic amines

6. PERMISSIBLE LIMITS
Food Amines Max
amount
(mg/kg)
Reference
General His, Cad, Put,
Tyr, Phenyl
40 Ayres et al., 1980
General His
tyr
phenyl
50-100
100-800
30
Nout, 1994
Fish His, Cad, Put 300 Spanjer and Van
Roode, 1991

7. Food Amines Max
amount
(mg/kg)
Reference
Canned
tuna
Cad 0.5 Sims et at., 1992
Cheese His, Cad,
Put, Tyr
900 Spanjer and Van
Roode, 1991
Sauerkraut His
Cad
Put
Tyr
Phenyl
10
25
50
20
5
Kuensh et al., 1989

8.  For example, to minimize histamine toxicological
effects, it is suggested that its concentration should
not exceed 2 mg/l in fermented beverages, such as
wine. Ten Brink Damink , Joosten ,& Huis in’t
Veld 1990
 The only country with a limit for histamine in wine
(10 mg/l) was Switzerland until 2008, but currently
there is no legal or regulatory limit for histamine
content in wine in any country in the world.

9. Significance of amines in
foods
 On the other hand, interest in polyamines lies in their
physiological functions related to cell membrane stabilisation
and cell proliferation, since they are involved in DNA, RNA,
and protein synthesis.
 Therefore, they are considered important food micro-
components during periods of intensive tissue growth (infant
gut maturation, post-operational recovery, etc.), although in
some pathological cases (individuals with tumours) the intake
of polyamines should be minimised (Bardo´ cz, 1995).

10. Problems arising from the presence of biogenic
amines in foods
 The primary relevance of BA is that the consumption of foods
or beverages containing a high concentration may cause food
intoxication with symptoms including flushes, headaches,
nausea, cardiac palpitations, and increased or decreased blood
pressure, among others (Ladero et al., 2010) and (Silla Santos,
1996).
 Also, they may have a role in the depreciation of the
organoleptic properties of foodstuff and are considered
indicators of quality and/or acceptability in some foods(Ruiz-
Capillas and Jimenez-Colmenero, 2004 and Shalaby, 1996).

12. Biogenic amines in foods and their physiological and
toxicological effects
Biogenic amines Precursor Physiological effects Toxicological effects
Histamine Histidine Neurotransmitter,
gastric acid secretion, cell
growth and differentiation,
regulation of circadian
rhythm, body temperature,
learning and memory,
immune response, allergic
reactions.
Headaches, sweating,
burning nasal
secretion, facial
flushing, dizziness,
itching rashes,
oedema (eyelids),
difficulty in
swallowing,
diarrhoea, respiratory
distress,
bronchospasm,
increased cardiac
output.

13. Tyramine Tyrosine Neurotransmitte
r, peripheral
vasoconstriction,
increase cardiac
output, increase
respiration,
elevate blood
glucose.
Headaches,migrain
e,neurological
disorders,
nausea,vomiting,
espiratorydisorders
, hypertension
Putrescine Ornithine Regulation of
gene expression,
maturation of
intestine, cell
growth and
differentiation
Increased cardiac
output, tachycardia,
hypotension,
carcinogenic
effects
Cadaverine Lysine do do
Contd..

14. Prevention of biogenic amine accumulation in foods
 These amines are thermostable and are not inactivated by
thermal treatments used in food processing and preparation.
 Only prevention and monitoring strategies enable the control
of BA formation in foods during the production process and
along the food chain.

15.  Starter cultures in any fermented food should be confirmed as
not producing BA.
 Favourable conditions for microbial growth should be limited.
 Reducing the number of BA producers via the pasteurization
of milk to be used in cheese manufacture.
 Adding sulphites, for reducing BA accumulation in wine and
cider.
Contd...

16. Analytical methods
 Methods for the determination of BAs in foods are numerous:
 Thin-layer chromatography (TLC)
 Gas chromatography(GC)
 Capillary electrophoretic method (CE)
 and high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) have
been proposed Good results are also provided by capillary
zone electrophoresis (CZE).

17. Ability of food microorganisms to degrade biogenic
amines
 Based on the fact that amino oxidases are responsible for the
detoxification of dietary BA, and enzymes with the same
activity have also been found in bacteria.
 The B linens strains to degrade histamine and tyramine during
the surface ripening of Munster cheese results to reduce the
BA content in food.

18. Contd....
 Biogenic amines are degraded through
oxidative deamination catalysed by amines
oxidase by the following reaction:
 RCH-NH-R’+ O2 + H2O → R-CHO + H2N-R' +
H2 O2

19. contd...
Biogenic amine Species matrix Reference
Histamine
Tyramine Lactobacillus plantarum,
L. sakei, L. pentosus,
Pediococcus acidilactici,
Rhodococcus sp.,
Arthrobacter sp.,
Micrococcus sp.,
Brevibacterium linens,
Geotrichum candidum
In vitro Leuschner et al.,
1998

20. Contd...
Histamie
Tyramine B. linens
Munster
cheese
Leuschner & Hammes,
1998
Histamine Bacillus
amyloliquefaci
ens,
Staphylococcus
carnosus
In vitro Zaman et al., 2010
Histamine
L. sakei
Ensiled
fish slurry
Dapkevicius et al., 2000

21. Contd......
Putrescine
Cadaverine
B. subtilis, St.
Intermedius
In vitro
Zaman et al., 2010
Histamine
Tyramine
L. Casei Cabrales cheese
model
Herrero-Fresno et al.,
2012
Histamine
Tyramine,
Putrescine
L. casei, L. hilgardii, P.
parvulus, Oenococcus
oeni, L. plantarum, P.
Pentosaceus
Culture media
García-Ruiz et al.,
2011
Histamine
Tyramine
Putrescine
Penicillium citrinum,
Alternaria sp.,
Phoma sp.,
Ulocladium
chartarum,
Epicoccum nigrum
In vitro/Commercial
wines
Cueva et al., 2012

22. Technological relevance of amines degrading
organism
 Enzymatic removal of amines may be a safe and economic
way to eliminate these troublesome compounds from wines
and other fermented foods.
 The preparation and industrial applications of the amino
oxidase of Aspergillus niger IMI17454 was described in 1985.

23. Contd....
 Attempted to reduce histamine in ensiled fish slurry (pH4.5) by
using commercial diamine oxidase purified from porcine kidney.
 Use of an enzymatic from P.citrinum CIAL-274,760 isolated from
vineyards.
 Fungi’s enzymatic extract was able to significantly and
simultaneously reduced the concentration of his, tyr, and put after
48 h treatment of a red wines at industrial scale malolactic
fermentation in stainless steal.

24.  Fermented foods and beverages have a high probability of
accumulating high concentrations of BA, which is undoubtedly
a health hazard for consumer.
 Currently, in many areas and world wineries, it is very difficult
or not viable to find wines without any BA which maintain all
their sensory properties.
 There is no any dietary rules and regulation on allowance of
amines in fermented
food in India.
CONCLUSION AND FUTURE CHALLENGES

25. Contd....
 Next generation DNA-sequencing techniques offer promising
alternatives.
 The sequence of the genomes of BA-degrading strains would
allow the identification of undesirable genes in food bacteria, such
as those responsible for the biosynthesis of BA.
 More studies are needed in order to prove their feasibility and
technological relevance during the production of fermented
foods.