BIOGENIC AMINES IN FOOD: MOLECULAR METHODS FOR THE DETECTION AND IDENTIFICATION OF BA-PRODUCING BACTERIA

Biogenic amines are low molecular weight nitrogenous compounds with biological activity that are formed by decarboxylation of certain amino acids. Biogenic amines are present in all living organisms, in which they have important physiological functions. However, due to the metabolism of certain microorganisms, these compounds can accumulate in food at high concentrations, constituting a health risk for consumers. The presence of biogenic amine-producing microorganisms is the indispensable condition for the presence and further accumulation of biogenic amines in food. Because of this, several methods for the detection and identification of these biogenic amine-producing microorganisms have been developed. Among them, those based on culture independent techniques, such as the PCR, have several advantages such as their specificity, they are methods that are fast and easy to perform, and in many cases there is no need for pre-processing of food material which facilitates their incorporation at production plants. In this work, some available methods for the detection of biogenic amine-producing microorganisms are described, as well as their potential applications.