The Evolution of Sensing Device for the Detection of Histamine and other Biogenic Amines

Abstract

Biogenic amines (BA) are basic nitrogenous compounds shaped by decarboxylation of amino acids. Biogenic amines can be present in food and can cause several adverse reactions in the consumers [1][2][3]. Relocation of the alpha-carboxyl group from a proteinogenous amino acid leads to corresponding biogenic amines such as histamine originates from histidine, cadaverine from lysine, tyramine from tyrosine and so on [4]. All kinds of foodstuffs that contain proteins or free amino acids represent important task to be subjected to conditions enabling microbial or biochemical activity of biogenic amines. The total amount of different amines formed strongly depends on the nature of food and the microorganisms present. Food likely to contain high levels of these compounds are dairy products, fish and fish products, meat and meat products, fermented vegetables and soy products and fermented beverages such as milk, wine and beer. The main biogenic amines encountered in food and beverages are histamine, tyramine, putrescine and cadaverine [5,6]. The factors that influence biogenic amines accumulation in food are distribution and storage conditions, food physicochemical parameters (pH, NaCl and ripening temperature), raw material quality, manufacturing processes, presence of decarboxylase-positive microorganisms and free amino acids [7].Biogenic amines and polyamines have been reported in variety of food, such as fish, meat, cheese, vegetables and wines. They are also described as organic bases with aliphatic, aromatic and heterocyclic structures [8]. Histamine is the most common biogenic amine and can be found in food or beverages. Histamine [(2-1H-imizazol-yl)ethanamine] is a biogenic amine that can be produced in organisms by decarboxylation of the amino-acid histidine through microbial or enzymatic processes. Histamine is involved in several physiological functions in the central nervous system (CNS) as a neurotransmitter, in sleep-wake regulation and body temperature control, and it affects appetite, mood, endocrinal processes, learning, and memory. It is also implicated in inflammatory and immune responses by increasing the permeability of blood capil-