Influence of Alcoholic and Malolactic Fermentation on the Level of Biogenic Amines in Wine

Abstract

Introduction. The concentration of biogenic amines is an important indicator of the safety of food products, especially winemaking. In grape wines, this concentration varies widely depending on the grape variety, its microbiological state, processing technology, the race of yeast and bacteria of malolactic fermentation, conditions of alcoholic and malolactic fermentation, etc. This research is aimed at determining the effect of the production technology of dry white and red wines on the concentration of biogenic amines.
 Study objects and methods. The mass concentration of biogenic amines was determined by the method of high-performance capillary electrophoresis using a Kapel 105R in laboratory-obtained samples of dry white wine from the Chardonnay grape variety and table dry red wine from the Cabernet-Sauvignon grape variety.
 Results and discussion. The dry white wine samples revealed high concentrations of tyramine (1.12 mg/dm³), phenylethydamine (0.58 mg/dm³), and histamine (0.57 mg/dm³), while the red wine samples demonstrated tyramine (0.62 mg/dm³), histamine (0.45 mg/dm³), putrescine (0.43 mg/dm³), and cadaverine (0.38 mg/dm³). The white wine samples had optimal pH values (3.2–3.6) with minimal formation of biogenic amines. The red wine samples, especially those obtained by heat treatment, had a lower concentration of biogenic amines, especially volatile biogenic amines, i.e. methylamine and phenylethylamine. The greatest formation of biogenic amines occurred during the acid reduction process: under the effect of enzymes of malolactic bacteria, biogenic amines formed as a result of decarboxylation of amino acids. 
 Conclusion. The technology of production of table dry white and red wines affects the concentration of biogenic amines. To reduce the level of biogenic amines in the finished product, each stage of vinification has to be controlled, especially the stages of fermentation and acid reduction (temperature and pH). The race of yeast and lactic acid bacteria cannot include those that produce biogenic amines or introduce them in minimal quantities.