Determination of biogenic amines in wines available on the Croatian market

Abstract

Biogenic amines (BA) are organic nitrogen compounds formed by decarboxylation of amino acids or by amination and transamination of aldehydes and ketones. The most important BA in wine are histamine, putrescine, cadaverine, tyramine, spermidine, spermine, tryptamine and β-phenylethylamine, and their content could vary due to different factors during wine production. They are mainly produced during malolactic fermentation by lactic acid bacteria, but could be also produced by yeasts during alcoholic fermentation. Concentration of BA in wine is important, because they act as moderators in many biological reactions in the human body. Concentrations of histamine, putrescine, cadaverine and tyramine were determined using high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) in eight different wines (four white and four red). The highest concentrations of cadaverine (8.228 mg/L) and tyramine (6.452 mg/L) were detected in white wine Vinko, while the highest level of putrescine (8.740 mg/L) was determined in white wine Chardonnay. In red wines putrescin concentration was significantly higher than levels of tyramine and cadaverine. Tyramine concentrations were lower in red than in white wines. Amounts of histamine were below detection limits in all samples, while concentrations of putrescine, cadaverine and tyramine were in agreement with Croatian wine legislation.