A survey of the main technology, biochemical and microbiological features influencing the concentration of biogenic amines of twenty Apulian and Sicilian (Southern Italy) cheeses

Abstract

a b s t r a c tTwenty Apulian and Sicilian cheeses were analysed for their concentrations of eight biogenic amines (BAs), free amino acids, pH, water activity, and subjected to microbiological characterisation. In addition, lactic acid bacteria isolated from cheeses were assayed for their capacity to generate BAs. Principal component analysis was performed to find the effect of different parameters on the distribution of the cheeses. Although short-ripened ( 30 d) cheeses did not show significant BA concentrations, the only BA showing high positive correlation with time of ripening was histamine. Concentration of histidine and, especially, percentage of histidine-decarboxylase bacteria presumably affected histamine concentration. High pH values were negatively correlated to the concentration of tyramine, putrescine, and cadaverine. Fifty percent of the cheeses contained at least one BA at potentially toxic concentrations. Unambiguous and ever-valid relations among parameters and BAs are difficult to determine, because BAs are the result of combined and varied factors.

A large factory-scale application of selected autochthonous lactic acid bacteria for PDO Pecorino Siciliano cheese production

“…Pecorino cheese production is widespread in South and Central Italy, but several regional differences are found. The raw materials are directly responsible for the characteristics of this cheese typology , while the indigenous milk microbiota might be defining for the final safety of the ripened products (Schirone et al, 2011(Schirone et al, , 2013Guarcello et al, 2015). The differences in the fermenting LAB of the several Pecorino cheeses depend strongly on the technology of transformation and on the use of a natural whey starter culture (Di Cagno et al, 2003).…”

Selection of Amine-Oxidizing Dairy Lactic Acid Bacteria and Identification of the Enzyme and Gene Involved in the Decrease of Biogenic Amines

“…After fish, cheese is the second most frequently reported foodstuff responsible for hista-mine intoxication (12,13). A recent survey of Apulian and Sicilian cheeses revealed that about 50% of the cheeses contained at least one BA (especially histamine, followed by tyramine and putrescine) at potentially toxic concentrations (Ͼ100 mg kg Ϫ1 ) (14).…”

“…Other lactic acid bacteria and some Gram-negative bacteria may also be responsible for the formation of BAs in cheeses (15,16). During cheese ripening, primary and secondary proteolysis releases a large amount of FAAs, some of which (e.g., Lys, Orn, His, Tyr, Trp, and Phe) are BA precursors (14,17). Therefore, the detection of bacteria possessing enzymes that convert precursor FAAs into BAs allows the risk of food intoxication to be estimated.…”

“…In this context, starting from hundreds of lactic acid bacteria previously isolated from 20 traditional Apulian and Sicilian cheeses (14), this study aimed to (i) select lactic acid bacteria that do not produce BAs and are able to degrade BAs, (ii) identify the enzyme and the gene involved in the degradation of BAs, and (iii) apply the selected lactic acid bacteria as a means for controlling the concentration of BAs in traditional cheese.…”

Histidine decarboxylase-positive lactic acid bacteria strains and the formation of histamine in ripened cheeses

“…Thus, in cheeses manufactured with raw milk, it seems necessary to control the factors that inhibit the ability of LAB to decarboxylate amino acids precursors of biogenic amines; being important factors the pH, the NaCl concentration, the time and the temperature of ripening between others (Komprda et al, ; Komprda, Rejchrtová, Sládková, Zemánek, & Vymlátilová, ; Linares et al, ). The controlling factors are even more crucial given that some LAB used as a dairy starter could have the ability to form amines (Guarcello et al, ).…”