Determination of biogenic amines in Greek wines by HPLC and ultraviolet detection after dansylation and examination of factors affecting their presence and concentration

Abstract

The presence of biogenic amines in wine has been associated with a number of undesirable physiological effects. The typical levels of 10 biogenic amines in Greek wines were investigated for the first time. One hundred wine samples, varying in type, colour and origin, were analyzed by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and ultraviolet detection after pre-column derivatization with dansyl chloride. The amino acid and organic acid contents of these wines were also evaluated by HPLC in an attempt to explain amine presence and concentration in wines. The total amine average level was 4.76 mg/l. Putrescine and ethylamine were the most prevalent amines, followed by cadaverine and methylamine. Histamine was found in 54.5% of the samples, though only 5.9% of them contained more than 2 mg/l. The levels of histamine and tyramine that were detected are below the amounts considered to have an adverse effect on human health. As regards the amine levels in relation to the different types of tested wines, relatively higher histamine and methylamine contents were detected in sweet wines. High biogenic amines levels were also found in wines from certain grape varieties. The presence of high amine amounts coincided with high acetic and lactic acid levels, which suggests that the biogenic amine formation is related to the microflora of the secondary fermentations, such as bacterial alterations (i.e. metabolization of sugars, citric acid). Some connection between age of wine, reducing sugars and biogenic amine content was also found.