Toxicological Effects of Dietary Biogenic Amines

Biogenic amines (BAs) are defined as low molecular weight organic bases with biological activity. They are formed and degraded as part of the normal metabolism of microorganisms, plants and animals, in which they have important physiological functions. In humans, BAs are involved in brain activity,...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Ladero Losada, Víctor Manuel, Calles-Enríquez, Marina, Fernández García, María, Álvarez González, Miguel Ángel
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2010
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/24982
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/24982
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Biogenic amines
Food products
Descripción
Sumario:Biogenic amines (BAs) are defined as low molecular weight organic bases with biological activity. They are formed and degraded as part of the normal metabolism of microorganisms, plants and animals, in which they have important physiological functions. In humans, BAs are involved in brain activity, the regulation of body temperature and stomach pH, gastric acid secretion, the immune response, and cell growth and differentiation etc. However, the consumption of foods with high concentrations of BAs can induce adverse reactions such as nausea, headaches, rashes and changes in blood pressure. The accumulation of BAs in the food matrix is mainly due to the presence of bacteria able to decarboxylate certain amino acids. The most common and powerful BAs found in food are histamine, tyramine and putrescine. Their contents vary, sometimes reaching over 2 g per kg. Histamine is the only BA for which maximum levels in food have been set, although general interest exists in reducing the presence of all BAs in all food products. This review discusses the toxic effects of BAs when ingested with food.