Detection of biogenic amines in several foods with different sample treatments: An overview

Background: Biogenic amines (BAs) are compounds considered to be contaminants of foodstuff and are cause of poisoning. The main BAs found in foods are cadaverine, putrescine, tyramine, histamine, spermine and spermidine. The number of food poisoning cases associated with BAs in food has increased in the recent years reinforcing the need for early detection to ensure high levels of food quality and safety. Scope and approach: This review aims to provide a general approach to the different BAs detected in foods their concentrations and sample treatments. These compounds are found in varying concentrations in a wide variety of foods such as fish, meat, fruits, vegetables, cheese, wine, and beer. It also refers the different analytical techniques currently used for the detection of BAs, as well as the different treatments of the samples and innovations of the techniques currently used that allow greater sensitivity and speed of the analyzes and with obtaining detection limits lower and lower. Key findings and conclusions: BAs are present in a wide variety of foods and their concentration is highly influenced by the storage conditions of food products. BAs can be precursors of nitrosamines, which have been linked to carcinogenic and mutagenic activity. Several analytical techniques and sample treatments have been improved in the last few years for better and faster detection of BAs.