Effect of organic acids on the formation of biogenic amines in fermented anchovy sauce comprising raw anchovy materials with different levels of freshness.

Abstract

We investigated the effect of different levels of organic acids on the formation of biogenic amines in anchovy fish sauce. Fish sauce samples were prepared with fresh anchovies used immediately after being caught (F), and anchovies left at ambient temperature for 4h (4h), 18h (18h), or 24h (24h). Anchovies from each of the four groups were mixed with salt at a 4:1 ratio and then fermented at ambient temperature for varying periods of time. The F and 4h anchovies contained higher levels of acetic acid, succinic acid, and lactic acid, and the levels increased during the fermentation process. The histamine content of the fish sauce samples prepared using F anchovies ranged from 44.0 to 9.2mg/kg at 1 and 24months of fermentation. The histamine content of fish sauce samples prepared using 4h, 18h, and 24h anchovies was 111.5-37.0mg/kg (4h), 780.1-560.3mg/kg (18h), and 880.6-675.7mg/kg (24h). Our findings indicated that the histamine and other biogenic amine levels were closely associated with the degree of freshness of the raw anchovy material. These findings indicate that lower pH levels resulting from organic acids generated by the fresh raw material can effectively inhibit histamine formation.