Fish, biogenic amines

Flick, G., Oria, M. and Douglas, L. (2001). Potential hazards in cold smoked fish Biogenic amines, J. Food Sci., 66(7), S-1088-S-1099. 

Interlaboratory studies were carried out on the precision characteristics of the analytical methods used for determination of certain biogenic amines in fish and fish products, as required by German law. These included putrescine (4a), cadaverine (4b), tyramine (5) and histamine (6)78. 

Air, water, soil, and food are all unavoidable components of the human environment. Each of those elements influences the quality of human life, and each of them may be contaminated. Food is not only the elementary source of nutrients, but may also contain natural chemical substances with toxic properties, e.g., cyanogenic glycosides (many plants), solanine (green parts of potatoes, sprouted potatoes, and potatoes stored in light), industrial pollutants (heavy metals), biogenic amines (fish), or mycotoxins (moldy foodstuffs). 

The prevalence of biogenic amines in fish depends on several factors. In general, concentrations in newly caught fish are low. Mietz and Karmas (1978) found that cadaverine values ranged from 0.116 to 1.036 mg per 100 g in high-quality rockfish, salmon steaks, and shrimp and that putrescine levels were... 

Tables 6.2, 6.3, and 6.4 summarize research on production of biogenic amines by microorganisms. The tables list studies on production of biogenic amines by bacterial isolates inoculated on different culture media and on fish...

Production of biogenic amines by bacteria isolates incubated on fish. 

Bacteria Fish Histamine (mg/IOOg) Other biogenic amines (mg/IOOg) Temperature Reference... 

Freezing has been observed to increase biogenic amines in some fish species and not in others. However, in most of the studies the increases have been minimal. When frozen fish are thawed, the increase in biogenic amines is less than when the fresh fish are incubated for the same time under identical temperature conditions. An explanation that has been offered is that the microflora are reduced as a result of the freezing process. Growth of the microflora may also have been reduced due to DNA injury during the freezing process. 

Biogenic amine formation in fish and fish products. 

Leuschner, R.G.K. and Hammes, W.P. (1999). Formation of biogenic amine in mayonnaise, herring and tuna fish salad by lactobacilli, Int. J. Food Sci. Nutr., 50, 159. 

Wendakoon, C. and Sakaguchi. M. (1992A). Elfects of spices on growth of and biogenic amine formation by bacteria in fish muscle, in Huss, H., Jakobsen, M. and Liston, J., Quality Assurance in the Fish Industry, Developments in Food Science, Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp. 305-313. 

The amount and ratios of BAs in food can serve as quality indicators via the biogenic amine index (BAI), introduced by Karmas (24) and calculated from the most abundant BAs in fish and food according to the following equation ... 

Figure 8.16 The separation of DTAF-biogenic amines in a Thai fish sauce sample. Peaks (1)histamine, (2)putrescine, and (3) dichlorotriazinefluorescein (DTAF) [128].

Biogenic amines (BAs), as spermine, spermidine and cadaverine, are synthesized in several parts of the vine, such as berries, seeds and leaves, with growth-regulating roles, while histamine, tyramine and 1-methylhistamine can be present just in trace amounts (Adams et al., 1990 Radler and Fath, 1991 Geny et al., 1997 Nicolini et al., 2003). BAs were instead found in significant amounts in fermented foods and beverages, such as cheeses, beer and fish and meat products (Stratton et al., 1991 Shalaby, 1996). They were also found in wine, the most abundant being histamine, tyramine, putrescine and phenylethylamine (Radler and Fath, 1991 Lehtonen, 1996). 

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