EVALUATION OF BIOGENIC AMINES IN GOAT AND SHEEP CHEESES OF SLOVAK ORIGIN

Goat cheese and sheep cheese can offer a range of unique flavors and potential health benefits, making them popular choices among cheese lovers. Both types of cheese contain biogenic amines, which are naturally present in many types of food. The purpose of this study was to assess the levels of the seven most commonly occurring biogenic amines in semi-hard and hard goat and sheep cheeses intended for the Slovak market. The HPLC-DAD method with pre-column derivatization using dansylchloride was employed for the analysis of the hard and semi-hard cheese samples. The presence of biogenic amines was confirmed in all cheese samples, with total levels ranging from 14.4 mg.kg-1 to 1322 mg.kg-1. The most abundant compounds found in the samples were tyramine and tryptamine, followed by 2-phenylethylamine and spermine. Histamine was present in 54.5% of the samples, but its concentration did not exceed 68.7 mg.kg-1. Statistically significant differences in the levels of individual biogenic amines were observed between goat and sheep cheeses, except for spermidine and spermine.