Changes in biogenic amine and polyamine contents in smear-ripened cheeses during storage

Can the Contents of Biogenic Amines in Olomoucké Tvarůžky Cheeses Be Risky for Consumers?

Smear-ripened cheeses are fermented dairy products characterised by an increased content of biogenic amines (BAs). The high contents of these bioactive compounds can negatively affect consumers. The study aimed to observe the contents of BAs and po-lyamines (PAs) in Olomoucké tvarůžky cheeses depending on selected factors (year, batch, ripening/storage time, shape, weight, specific surface area, acidity, and salt content). The results showed that the variability was explained primarily by the batch (83% for the sum of BAs) and by the year (63% for the sum of PAs). The storage time significantly influenced the contents of putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine, and spermine (the explained variability was only 1-3%). The total BA contents negatively correlated with weight (r = -0.6374; p < 0.001) and positively with specific surface area (r = +0.4349; p < 0.001). A negligible positive correlation coefficient was found between the total BAs and pH (r = +0.1303). A low negative correlation was also found between the total BAs and salt content (r = -0.1328). Compared to previous studies, the total average BA contents were considerably low. In conclusion, this type of cheese does not represent a serious problem for most consumers.

Application of Electrochemical Biosensors for Determination of Food Spoilage

Food security is significantly affected by the mass production of agricultural produce and goods, the growing number of imported foods, and new eating and consumption habits. These changed circumstances bring food safety issues arising from food spoilage to the fore, making food safety control essential. Simple and fast screening methods have been developed to detect pathogens and biomarkers indicating the freshness of food for safety. In addition to the traditional, sequential, chemical analytical and microbiological methods, fast, highly sensitive, automated methods suitable for serial tests have appeared. At the same time, biosensor research is also developing dynamically worldwide, both in terms of the analytes to be determined and the technical toolkit. Consequently, the rapid development of biosensors, including electrochemical-based biosensors, has led to significant advantages in the quantitative detection and screening of food contaminants. These techniques show great specificity for the biomarkers tested and provide adequate analytical accuracy even in complex food matrices. In our review article, we summarize, in separate chapters, the electrochemical biosensors developed for the most important food groups and the food safety issues they can ensure, with particular respect to meat and fish products, milk and dairy products, as well as alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

Quantitative Analysis of Biogenic Amines in Different Cheese Varieties Obtained from the Korean Domestic and Retail Markets

To evaluate the safety and risk assessment of cheese consumption in the Republic of Korea, sixty cheese samples purchased from the farmstead and retails markets (imported) were analyzed for their biogenic amine (BA) contents. The BA profiles and quantities of eight amines (tryptamine, 2-phenylethylamine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, tyramine, spermidine, and spermine) were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Spermine was the only amine detectable in all the samples. The BAs of fresh cheeses from both farmstead and retail markets were mostly undetectable, and comparatively at lower levels (<125 mg/kg) than ripened samples. Putrescine was undetectable in all the domestic ripened cheeses. The sum of BA levels in the imported ripened cheeses of Pecorino Romano (1889.75 mg/kg) and Grana Padano (1237.80 mg/kg) exceeds >1000 mg/kg, of which histamine accounts nearly 86 and 77% of the total levels, respectively. The tolerable limits of the potential toxic amines, histamine and tyramine surpassed in four and three imported ripened samples, respectively. Furthermore, the presence of potentiators (putrescine and cadaverine) together in samples even with a lower level of toxic amines alarms the risk in consumption. Therefore, adoption of strict hygienic practices during the entire chain of cheese production, along with obligatory monitoring and regulation of BA in cheeses seems to be mandatory to ensure the safety of the consumers.

Biogenic amines in smear ripened cheeses

Cheeses belong to high protein foods in which enzymatic and microbial activities form amino acids, which are then converted into biogenic amines (BAs) by the activity of bacterial decarboxylases. The most important conditions for BA formation include the presence of microorganisms, the availability of substrate, temperature and storage period, water activity, salt concentration, and the hygiene of the manufacturing process. Tyramine, histamine, 2-phenylethylamine, tryptamine, cadaverine, putrescine, spermidine and spermine were detected in smear ripened cheeses stored in different temperature regimes. The highest (p < 0.05) total BA content was found when storing the cheeses at the end of BBD (best before date) after 35 days in storage regime (A) or (C). During storage in regime (B), the total BA content (p < 0.05) after 49 days of storage was higher than on the production date (B/0). During storage, the tyramine content in regime (B) did not change (p > 0.05), while in the temperature regimes (A) and (C), the highest levels of tyramine and putrescine content were recorded in cheeses at the end of BBD after 35 days ripening. The content of polyamines in cheeses was higher (p < 0.05) at the end of storage than at the beginning, in all temperature regimes.

Health effects and occurrence of dietary polyamines: a review for the period 2005-mid 2013

This review continues a previous one (Kalač & Krausová, 2005). Dietary polyamines spermidine and spermine participate in an array of physiological roles with both favourable and injurious effects on human health. Dieticians thus need plausible information on their content in various foods. The data on the polyamine contents in raw food materials increased considerably during the reviewed period, while information on their changes during processing and storage have yet been fragmentary and inconsistent. Spermidine and spermine originate mainly from raw materials. Their high contents are typical particularly for inner organs and meat of warm-blooded animals, soybean and fermented soybean products and some mushroom species. Generally, polyamine contents range widely within the individual food items.