Biogenic amines in grapes, aszu-grapes, wines, and aszu-wines of the Tokaj region of Hungary were separated, identified, and quantified by HPLC. The biogenic amine content of the Tokaj wines was well below the suggested limits for any of the biogenic amines. Histamine contents were especially low in all the samples investigated. The composition and concentration of the biogenic amines (polyamines) in the grape berries were altered remarkably by the Botrytis cinerea, and this resulted in a great change of the amine concentration in the aszu-wines compared to the wines. The composition and concentration of biogenic amines might provide useful information on the vintage and can support the authentication of the Tokaj aszu-wines.

SummaryThe biologically active amines agmatine, cadaverine, histamine, phenethylamine, putrescine, spermidine, and tyramine have been determined in different varieties of grape, aszu grape, wine and aszu wine from the Tokaj region of Hungary. Ion pairs formed between the amines and octanesulphonic acid were separated by liquid chromatography on a #Bondapak C18 reversed-phase column, and spectrofluorimetric detection was performed after post-column derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde and 2-mercaptoethanol. The method was linear for the amines between 0.1 and 10 mg L -1, and for spermidine between 1 and 30 mg L 1. Comparison of the results revealed that the qualitative and quantitative content of biologically active amines was mostly determined by the vintage of the wine and the technology used for wine-making. The biogenic amine content of Tokaj wines is well below suggested limits for any of the amines, showing that the winemaking technology of the Tokaj region is of high quality. The levels of biologically active amines (identified and quantified by HPLC) in grapes, wines and aszu wines can provide useful information about the weather, growth of Botrytis cinerea in Tokaj, and aspects of the methods used for wine-making.

A bioactive compound is a food component that may have an impact on health. Its bioaccessibility, defined as the fraction released from the food matrix into the gastrointestinal tract during digestion, depends on compound stability, interactions with other food components, and supramolecular organization of food. In this study, the effect of pH on the bioaccessibility of the bioactive dipeptide carnosine was evaluated in two commercial samples of the Italian cured beef meat bresaola at two key points of digestion: before the gastric and after the duodenal phases. The digestion process was simulated using an in vitro static system, whereas capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) and (1)H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) were used for quantitative analysis. The gap between the total carnosine content, measured by CZE, and its free diffusible fraction observable by NMR spectroscopy, was 11 and 19% for two independent bresaola products, where such percentages represent the fraction of carnosine not accessible for intestinal absorption because it was adsorbed to the food matrix dispersed in the digestion fluid.

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