Controlling the formation of biogenic amines in fermented foods

Fermentation is an ancient technique used for the preservation of a variety of perishable foods over an extended period of time. Fermented foods are the basis of many diets in the world, often handed down over the centuries, due to their nutritional value, practical storage, and palatability. 

Nonetheless, toxic compounds, including biogenic amines (BAs) and ethyl carbamate, which are a potential risk to human health, may be synthesized by microorganisms present in the food. Ethyl carbamate is a genotoxic and carcinogenic molecnle that may be present mainly in fermented beverages but also in bread, fermented milk products, and soy sauce. Wine is mostly at risk, since during the malolactic fermentation (MLF) different ethyl carbamate precnrsors such as citrulline, and to a lesser extent carbamoyl phosphate, are produced by yeasts or bacteria from proteins (Weber Sharypov, 2009). 

Apart from wine, increasing attention has been paid over recent years to the occurrence of BAs in fermented foods (Silla Santos, 1996 Spano et al., 2010). Therefore, in this chapter the current knowledge and perspectives concerning the origin, detection, and control of BA production in food wiU be described. 

Under normal physiological conditions BAs are degraded in the gnt lumen by the mono- and di-aminoxidase enzymes. However, higher levels than the normal intake of BAs from the diet, or pathological alterations of the detoxification system, can provoke several disorders in humans. In addition, substances such as alcohol or some drugs can inhibit the amino oxidase activities, and therefore reduce the critical 

Advances in Fermented Foods and Beverages. http //dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-l-78242-015-6.00012-8 Copyri t 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved 

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Controlling the formation of biogenic amines in fermented foods... 

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