A survey of biogenic amines in Oregon Pinot noir and Cabernet Sauvignon wines

The content of biogenic amines was determined in 59 samples of Pinot noir and Cabernet Sauvignon wines produced in Oregon, USA from the 1991 and 1992 vintages. Amines were separated by reversed-phase ion-pair chromatography and quantified fluorimetrically after post-column derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde. Overall, putrescine was the most prevalent amine, being present in samples in both varietals. It was followed by histamine (97% in Pinot noir and 79% in Cabernet Sauvignon) and cadaverine (93%) in Cabernet Sauvignon. Tryptamine was not detected in Cabernet Sauvignon wines. There was no significant difference between amine concentrations from the 1991 and 1992 vintages. Pinot noir contained significantly more putrescine, histamine, 2-phenylethylamine, serotonin, spermine and total amine; however, Cabernet Sauvignon contained more cadaverine and spermidine (p less than or equal to 0.05, Tukey test). The variability of the type and concentration of amines in the wines suggests that the amount of some amines in wines could be reduced. Due to the health concerns of amines in wine, efforts should be made to understand their formation in wine to optimize processing technology in order to secure low amine content.