Abstract
Presented in several types of food, bioactive amines are described as organic bases of low molecular weight. They have vasoactive, psychoactive and toxicological characteristics and constitute a potential health risk. The concentration of amines formed in foods depends on the type of microorganisms present, the action of decarboxylase enzymes produced by microorganisms on specific amino acids and favorable conditions for enzymatic activity. The presence of these chemical metabolites has been suggested as a quality indicator in routine analyzes for food production and marketing monitoring. The detection of bioactive amines can be performed by chromatographic methods, fluorometric and enzymatic kits. Bioactive amine formation can be prevented mainly through the adoption of good manufacturing practices, but the industry can also use other methods such as temperature control in the production chain, modified atmosphere packaging and food irradiation. This review aims to address the formation of bioactive amines in foods, emphasizing the formation and classification of these metabolites, aspects related to health, acceptable limits, detection methods and control methods used in the industry to ensure food safety and quality. The success of this approach is linked to the importance of bioactive amines as quality indicators, as well as the discussion on the development of methodologies for determining these substances and discussion of acceptable parameters in food.
Highlights
Bioactive amines are low molecular weight organic bases produced by the metabolism of plants, animals and microorganisms [1,2]
Amino acid decarboxylation is the main route of biogenic amine formation and consists of the removal of the α-carboxyl group from the amino acid structure forming the correspondent amine [4]
This reaction may occur through two biochemical routes: by the action of endogenous decarboxylase enzymes, i.e. enzymes naturally present in food or by exogenous decarboxylase enzymes produced by microorganisms [5,6]
Summary
Bioactive amines are low molecular weight organic bases produced by the metabolism of plants, animals and microorganisms [1,2]. These amines can be detected in fresh and processed foods and can be formed by transamination of aldehydes and ketones, hydrolysis of nitrogen compounds, thermal decomposition or by decarboxylation of amino acids [2,3]. Amino acid decarboxylation is the main route of biogenic amine formation and consists of the removal of the α-carboxyl group from the amino acid structure forming the correspondent amine [4] This reaction may occur through two biochemical routes: by the action of endogenous decarboxylase enzymes, i.e. enzymes naturally present in food or by exogenous decarboxylase enzymes produced by microorganisms [5,6]. The concentration and formation of different types of amines are directly related to the nature of the food and type of microorganism present [8,9]
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