Presence of Biogenic Amines in Food and Their Public Health Implications: A Review.

ABSTRACT: Essential foods as part of a daily meal may include numerous kinds of biogenic amines (BAs) at various concentrations. BAs have a variety of toxicological effects on human health and have been linked to multiple outbreaks of foodborne disease. BAs also are known to cause cancer based on their ability to react with nitrite salts, resulting in the production of carcinogenic organic compounds (nitrosamines). Ingestion of large quantities of BAs in food causes toxicological effects and health disorders, including psychoactive, vasoactive, and hypertensive effects and respiratory, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and neurological disorders. The toxicity of BAs is linked closely to the BAs histamine and tyramine. Other amines, such as phenylethylamine, putrescine, and cadaverine, are important because they can increase the negative effects of histamine. The key method for reducing BA concentrations and thus foodborne illness is management of the bacterial load in foods. Basic good handling and hygiene practices should be used to control the formation of histamine and other BAs and reduce the toxicity histamine and tyramine. A better understanding of BAs is essential to enhance food safety and quality. This review also includes a discussion of the public health implications of BAs in foods.

The Determination of Some Microbiological and Chemical Features in Herby Cheese.

The objective of this study is to measure the amounts of biogenic amines, microbial counts, values of pH, titratable acidity, dry matter, and salt (%) in herby cheese, a very popular staple in the Turkish diet, and to evaluate the concentration of biogenic amines in terms of public health risks. A high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method was used for the determination of eight biogenic amines in 100 herby cheeses sold in the local markets of Van. The bacterial load of the herby cheeses ranged between 4.0 and 8.90 log CFU/g for viable total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB), <1 and 7.0 log CFU/g for lactic bacteria (LAB), <1 and 6.08 log CFU/g for coliform bacteria, <1 and 5.81 log CFU/g for Enterobacteriaceae, <1 and 2.60 log CFU/g for Staphylococcus aureus, and 3.70 and 8.05 log CFU/g for yeasts and molds. The results obtained suggested significant changes in the pH, titratable acidity, dry matter, and salt contents of the examined herby cheese samples. The detection levels of biogenic amines in the samples ranged from <0.025 to 33.36 mg/kg for tryptamine, from <0.038 to 404.57 mg/kg for ß-phenylethylamine, from 0.03 to 426.35 mg/kg for putrescine, from <0.039 to 1438.22 mg/kg for cadaverine, from <0.033 to 469 mg/kg for histamine, from <0.309 to 725.21 mg/kg for tyramine, from <0.114 to 1.70 mg/kg for spermidine, and from <0.109 to 1.88 mg/kg for spermine. As a result, these cheeses are fit for consumption in terms of the amounts of biogenic amines they contain.

Detection of common biogenic amines in fermented sausage produced in Turkey.

The application of HPLC method to detect the BA concentration in fermented sausage was successful and proved that HPLC system and method served its purposes. Biogenic amines are generated in foods as a result of free amino acid decarboxylation by bacterial enzymes. Biogenic amines accumulations are unwanted in all foods and beverages because if consumed at high concentrations, they may induce foodborne intoxications. Histamine, putrescine, cadaverine, tyramine, tryptamine, beta-phenylethylamine, spermine and spermidine are considered to be the most important biogenic amines occurring in foods. The determination of biogenic amines in foods is of great interest due to their potential toxicity and can be used as indicators for food quality markers.

The determination of some biogenic amines in Turkish fermented sausages consumed in Van.

Biogenic amines, has been implicated as the causative agent in several outbreaks of food poisoning. Fermented food such as Turkish style fermented sausages can also contain biogenic amines, microorganisms possessing the enzymes decarboxylase, which converts amino acids to biogenic amines, are responsible for the formation of biogenic amines in fermented sausages. The purpose of this study was to determine the amount of biogenic amines in Turkish fermented sausage consumed in Van in Turkey, and to evaluate their concentrations in term of public health risks. High performance liquid chromatography method was used to the determination of 8 biogenic amines in 120 sausage samples collected from 10 different brands sold in the local markets of Van. The detection levels of biogenic amines in the samples was ranged from 0 to 129.375 mg/kg for tryptamine, from 0 to 65.625 mg/kg for 2-phenylethylamine, from 0 to 255.625 mg/kg for putrescine, from 0 to 1148.75 mg/kg for cadaverine, from 0 to 469.375 mg/kg for histamine, from 0 to 438.125 mg/kg for tyramine, from 0 to 554.375 mg/kg for spermidine, and from 0 to 614.375 mg/kg for spermine.

Prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in asymptomatic food workers.

OBJECTIVE: Cryptosporidium spp. is obligatory intracellular parasite and causes intestinal infection. In intestine infections in the form of sporadic and epidemics, food and accordingly workers in food sector may play a role as the source of infection. In this study, it is aimed to reveal the existence of asymptomatic cryptosporidiosis. METHODS: In the study, stool samples of 393 workers -employed at various branches of food sector in the region of Van- are used. In order to detect Cryptosporidium spp. oocysts, Modified Ziehl Neelsen (MZN) Staining was used. RESULTS: In this study, asymptomatic cryptosporidiosis has been detected in 5 (1.27%) of 393 workers. CONCLUSION: Epidemiological findings indicate that food workers can be source of cryptosporidiosis outbreak. Thus, searching for the existence of asymptomatic cryptosporidiosis food workers -which epidemiologically has potential significance- and taking the required measures in case of its determination are significant in respect of public health.

A note on histamine levels in Turkish style fermented sausages.

The histamine contents of Turkish style fermented sausages were determined on 46 samples of five different brands obtained from retail stores in Van in Turkey. Histamine was found in all samples in the range 19.64-87.47 mg/kg (mean 32.13 mg/kg). Histamine levels in the brands differed significantly (P<0.01). The results suggest that the histamine levels in the sausages were not hazardous in terms of public health although they may be a potential risk to sensitive individuals.