Level of Biogenic Amines in Red and White Wines, Dietary Exposure, and Histamine-Mediated Symptoms upon Wine Ingestion

Abstract

Biogenic amines (BAs) are involved in physiological processes. Foods where typically high levels of BAs occur are fermented food and beverage. This work set out to evaluate the occurrence of BAs in red and white wines, and to also ascertain the dietary exposure to BAs among consumers. Besides, a case report of a probable histamine intoxication upon ingestion of contaminated wine was described. The samples were analyzed through derivatization with dansyl chloride and HPLC-UV detection. Red wines showed higher levels of BAs, especially putrescine (PUT) and histamine (HIS), than white wines (median concentrations of 7.30 and 2.45 mg/L, respectively). However, results of our investigation showed that the dietary exposure to BAs through the consumption of wine (red and white) were lower than the recommended maximum levels for the acute exposure to HIS and tyramine (TYR). In contrast, the levels of BAs in wine on tap were much higher than in bottled wine and close to recommended values. The levels of HIS, TYR, and PUT in tap wine of 9.97, 8.23, and 13.01 mg/L, respectively, were associated with histamine-mediated symptoms in six young individuals after consumption of about three glasses of wine. The overall results and multivariate analysis confirm that red wine shows a higher concentration of BAs than white wine, especially putrescine and histamine. This finding is attributable to the malolactic fermentation that is common for most red wine production. It is also evident that incorrect preservation processes can lead to an increase in BA levels, probably due to the action of bacteria with high decarboxylase activity. The exposure values, although below the toxicity thresholds, could lead to histamine-mediated symptoms in susceptible individuals, also according to the case report discussed in this study.

An Approach of the Madeira Wine Chemistry

“…Moreover, the total concentration of the detected BAs ranged from 1.2 to 52 mg/L. According to a study performed by Esposito et al [150], the levels of BAs are higher in red wines, especially for putrescine and histamine, rather than in white wines, with concentrations of an average of 7.30 and 2.45 mg/L, respectively. The levels of ABs were determined in red wines made from seven different cultivars by Konakovsky et al [144], with the putrescine (average 19.4 mg/L, concentration range from 2.9 to 122 mg/L), histamine (7.2 mg/L, 0.5 to 26.9 mg/L), and tyramine (3.5 mg/L, 1.1 to 10.7 mg/L) being the most abundant BAs in wines.…”

Biogenic amines and the importance of starter cultures for malolactic fermentation

“…Esposito et al (2019) reported a higher concentration of BA in red wines than in white wines. Although the values found for histamine were lower than the limits widely documented in the literature, its presence could cause symptoms linked to histamine intolerance in susceptible individuals.…”

Histamine Intolerance Originates in the Gut

“…A specific pathophysiologic mechanism of headache is still unknown and migraines are defined as an untreatable disease [ 81 ]. Biogenic amines in wine, including histamine, tyramine, and putrescine [ 82 ], have relevance for headache and histamine-related symptoms [ 83 ]. Red wines contain clearly more than double the histamine concentrations with >2200 µg/L, compared to white wines (~900 µg/L histamine) [ 6 ].…”