Biogenic Amine Content in Retailed Cheese Varieties Produced with Commercial Bacterial or Mold Cultures

Abstract

Biogenic amines (BAs) are considered a potential microbiological toxicological hazard in aged cheese. Risk mitigation strategies include good hygiene practice measures, thermal treatment of milk and the use of competitive dairy cultures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the amount of BAs—tryptamine, β-phenylethylamine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, tyramine, spermidine and spermine—in the core and rind of cheeses ripened by bacteria (n = 61) and by mold cultures (n = 8). The microbial communities were counted, and the dominant lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were identified, corresponding to the BA concentrations. The total BA content was highest in the core of semi-hard cheeses (353.98 mg/kg), followed by mold cheeses (248.99 mg/kg) and lowest in hard cheeses (157.38 mg/kg). The highest number of BAs was present in the rind of cheeses with mold (240.52 mg/kg), followed by semi-hard (174.99 mg/kg) and hard cheeses (107.21 mg/kg). Tyramine was the most abundant BA, represented by 75.4% in mold cheeses, 41.3% in hard cheese and 35% of total BAs in semi-hard cheeses. Histamine was present above the defined European maximum level (ML) of 100 mg/kg in only two semi-hard and three hard cheeses. High amount of BAs (above 600 mg/kg) in cheeses, mainly tyramine, were associated with the presence of Enterococcus durans, while negligible BA concentrations were found in cheeses ripened with Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus, Lactococcus lactis or Lacticaseibacillus paracasei cultures. This study has shown that retailed cheese varieties produced with commercial bacterial or mold cultures have acceptable levels of biogenic amines with respect to consumers.

Prevalence and Persistence of Multidrug-Resistant Yersinia enterocolitica 4/O:3 in Tonsils of Slaughter Pigs from Different Housing Systems in Croatia

“…A total of 84 isolates of presumptive Y. enterocolitica were selected for matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry identification (MALDI-TOF MS, Bruker Daltonik, Bremen, Germany), with detailed description provided in a recent study [18].…”

Development of a High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Diode Array Detector (HPLC-DAD) Method for Determination of Biogenic Amines in Ripened Cheeses

“…Various solvents were used for the extraction of Bas, taking into consideration the characteristics of the analyzed samples. Solutions of 0.2 M perchloric acid was previously proposed for fish products [ 26 ], 0.4 M and 0.6 M for cheeses [ 5 , 27 ]. Hydrochloric acid 0.1 M was also applied before for cheeses [ 20 ], 5% trichloroacetic acid for meat [ 28 ], and 10% TCA for various foods [ 29 ].…”

“…In a study performed in Austria, this amine was detected mainly in hard cheeses with the maximum concentration of 486.4 mg/kg in Cantal, the French raw milk cheese [ 5 ]. In other studies, high concentrations of tyramine were found in mold-ripened cheese (762.75 mg/kg) and semi hard cheese (767.03 mg/kg) [ 27 ].…”

Challenging Sustainable and Innovative Technologies in Cheese Production: A Review

“…Protective cultures do not alter the sensory properties of cheese, but, rather, the cheese safety by suppressing the pathogenic microbiota. In this sense, their antimicrobial properties in cheese production are directed to toxigenic molds, amine-producing microbiota, or foodborne pathogens, such as Listeria monocytogenes [203,215,222].…”