Accumulation of Biogenic Amines in Foods: Hazard Identification and Control Options

Biogenic amines (BAs) are basic compounds of low molecular weight derived internally from plants, fruits, and vegetables. These organic bases can be divided into several groups according to their chemical structure—aromatic (tyramine and phenylethylamine), aliphatic (putrescine and cadaverine), or heterocyclic (histamine and tryptamine)—or in relation to the number of amino groups into monoamines (phenylethylamine and tyramine) and diamines (histamine, cadaverine, and putrescine). They can also be classified as volatile (phenylethylamine) and nonvolatile (histamine, cadaverine, putrescine, spermine, agmatine, tryptamine, and tyramine) BAs (EFSA, 2011). Figure 4.1 shows the chemical structures of the most important amines. BAs execute a number of crucial functions in the physiology and development of eukaryotic cells. The most active BAs are histamine and tyramine. Polyamines such as putrescine, spermine, and spermidine also play essential roles in cell growth and differentiation via the regulation of gene expression and the CONTENTS