Abstract
Controlling the content of biogenic amines (BAs) is critical to guarantee the safety of fermented aquatic products. The degradation characteristics and application potential of amine-negative starter cultures (Virgibacillus halodenitrificans CGMCC 1.18601: G25, Virgibacillus pantothenticus CGMCC 1.18602: G38) screened from grasshopper sub shrimp paste (Gssp) were studied. The enzymes of the two strains G25 and G38 that degrade BAs were amine oxidases (AOs) located on their respective cell membranes. The conditions that promoted the AO activity of Virgibacillus spp. were NaCl concentrations 5–10%, temperature 37 °C, pH 7.0 and ethanol concentrations 0–2%. Safety assessments (antibiotic susceptibility, biofilm activity and hemolytic activity) indicated that Virgibacillus spp. do not present a risk to human health, and this isolate can be confidently recommended as safe starter cultures for the food industry. Then, the two strains were cultured separately as starters and applied to the Gssp to analyze their influence on the flavor and quality of the product. As far as the bad flavors in Gssp such as sulfur-organic and sulf-chlor were concerned, the response values in the starter groups by G25 and G38 were significantly reduced by 39% and 65%, respectively. For the ability of strains to degrade BAs in Gssp, G25 degraded 11.1% of histamine, 11.3% of tyramine, 15.5% of putrescine and 4.1% of cadaverine; G38 significantly degraded 10.1% of histamine, 21.8% of tyramine, 18.1% of putrescine and 5.0% of cadaverine. These results indicated that the selected species could be used as starter cultures for the control of BA accumulation and degradation in Gssp.
Highlights
For many years, fermented aquatic products have been very popular in Asia
Screening of biogenic amine (BA)‐degrading strains in grasshopper sub shrimp paste (Gssp) Early in the laboratory, a total of 442 strains of halophilic bacteria were identified in the Gssp, and they were classified into 46 genera and 103 species based on their 16S rRNA sequences (Sang et al 2020a)
The degradation ability of these 11 strains is illustrated in Fig. 1c, and Virgibacillus halodenitrificans (G25) and Virgibacillus pantothenticus (G38) have the highest degradation rates among them
Summary
For many years, fermented aquatic products have been very popular in Asia They have a unique taste and their special flavor makes them a flavoring ingredient widely used in many cuisines. These products are highly salted, and fermentation normally takes several months (3–9 months), and the flesh may liquefy or form a paste during the process (Phewpan et al 2019; Xinran et al 2020). The most problematic safety issues are the presence of biogenic amines (BAs) (Spano et al 2010; Kim et al 2019). Poisoning from the ingestion of foods containing high levels of BAs has historically been referred to as scombroid poisoning because of the frequent association of this illness with the consumption of spoiled scombroid fish, such as mackerel and tuna. Anchovies, herrings, pilchards, sardines, shrimp, and some shellfish have been implicated in BA poisoning in Japan, Indonesia, and Sri Lanka, where
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