Biogenic Amines: Catalysis, Quality, and Safety Aspects of Food Items Consumed in Saudi Arabia

In this study, the identification and quantification of biogenic amines in 45 commonly consumed food samples in Saudi Arabia were carried out. The enzymes responsible for producing these biogenic amines include spermidine (SPD), putrescine (PUT), tryptamine (TRP), tyramine (TYR), and histamine (HIS), which are synthesized through organo-catalytic pathways. The diverse range of samples analyzed encompassed various types of beef, pickle varieties, canned fish, vegetables, chicken varieties, spices, fruits, and salad ingredients. Sample preparation involved the use of dansyl chloride after aqueous extraction, followed by isolation and analysis using reversed-phase HPLC with a UV detector. In five beef samples, mean concentrations of SPD, PUT, TRP, HIS, and TYR were identified as 9.41, 8.98, 155.8, 100.8, and 304.2 mg kg-1, respectively. Canned fish samples exhibited mean concentrations of TRP, PUT, HIS, TYR, and SPD at 71.6, 3.88, 29.2, 2.56, and 2.02 mg kg-1, respectively. Among five pickle samples, mean concentrations of TRP, PUT, HIS, TYR, and SPD were reported as 118.8, 39.12, 35.2, 27.2, and 2.56 mg kg-1, respectively. Chicken samples primarily contained TRP, HIS, and SPD as the identified biogenic amines, with mean concentrations of 87.2, 105.6, and 5.22 mg kg-1, respectively. Fruit samples generally exhibited low levels of all enzymes except for TRP. It was found that vegetables, seasonings, and salad ingredients either had undetectable or low quantities of biogenic amines.