Biogenic Amines Determination in “Plant Milks”

Laura Gobbi,Salvatore Ciano,Roberto Ruggieri,Mattia Rapa

doi:10.3390/beverages5020040

Abstract

“Plant milks” are water-based beverages, such as, extracts from cereals, pseudo-cereals, oil seeds, legumes or fruits. Plant milk consumption is rising in European and North American markets due to problems related to cow milk allergies, intolerances, but also because of vegan diets and sensitivity to environmental issues. There is no specific regulation for these beverages, therefore their composition can vary considerably, even in the same category. The aim of this study is to characterize the main categories of cereal and pseudo-cereal milks on the market by studying the profile of 8 biogenic amines (histamine, serotonin, spermine, spermidine, putrescine, β-phenylethylamine, cadaverine, tyramine) through a RP-HPLC/FD method with a pre-column derivatization. Biogenic amines are ubiquitous compounds, produced by the decarboxylation of the respective amino acids and they have been proposed as quality and safety markers of different foods and beverages. In the analyzed samples, the total biogenic amines content ranged from a minimum of 1.92 mg/L, to a maximum of 9.27 mg/L. The main biogenic amine found in the samples was histamine. The results show a low content of biogenic amines in all types of analyzed products. This ensures the quality and safety of cereal and pseudo-cereal milk samples.

Highlights

In Europe, milk is defined as “the normal mammary secretion obtained from one or more milkings without either addition thereto or extraction therefrom” by the Council Regulation (EU)No 1308/2013 [1]
The eight biogenic amines studied were histamine (HIS), serotonin (SER), spermine (SPM), spermidine (SPD), putrescine (PUT), β-phenylethylamine (β-PEA), cadaverine (CAD), and tyramine (TYM) all of which were supplied by Supelco (Bellefonte, PA, USA) as well as the derivatizing agent dansyl chloride (5-(dimethylamino) naphthalene-1-sulfonyl chloride)
The presence of Biogenic Amines (BAs) has been widely explored in food and beverages, such as cheese, meat, wine

Summary

Introduction

In Europe, milk is defined as “the normal mammary secretion obtained from one or more milkings without either addition thereto or extraction therefrom” by the Council Regulation (EU)No 1308/2013 [1]. In Europe, milk is defined as “the normal mammary secretion obtained from one or more milkings without either addition thereto or extraction therefrom” by the Council Regulation (EU). People benefit from milk consumption, especially during the first years of life. Milk provides proteins of high biological value, lipids, vitamins and minerals (such as calcium) [2]. Milk consumption is gradually decreasing in western countries [3]. Nowadays the spread of alternative milk is growing (i.e., vegetables milk) commonly called “plant milk” or “non-dairy milk”. Consumption of “plant milk” is constantly increasing in North America as well as in Europe [4]

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Conclusion