+Biogenic amines ‐ formation, action and toxicity–review

Biogenic amines are organic compounds commonly found in food, plants, animals, as well as microorganisms that are attributed with the production of biogenic amines. They are formed as an effect of a chemical process called decarboxylation of amino acids. Factors determining the formation of biogenic amines include the availability of free amino acids and the presence of microorganisms that show activity to carry out the decarboxylation process. On the one hand, biogenic amines are compounds that are crucial for maintaining cell viability, the proper course of the organism's metabolic processes such as protein synthesis, hormone synthesis and DNA replication. On the other hand, despite their positive effects on the functioning of the organism, excessive content of biogenic amines proves to be toxic (diarrheas, food poisonings, vomiting, sweating or tachycardia). Moreover, they can accelerate carcinogenesis. Amines are a natural component of plant and animal raw materials. Due to the proven negative effects of amines on living organisms, the reduction of these compounds should be the subject of scientific research. It is the intent of this review to synthesize and summarize the information currently available on biogenic amines, as well as to discuss the interpretation of the results. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.