Editing Biogenic amine (section)

== Importance in food ==
Biogenic amines can be found in all foods containing proteins or free amino acids and are found in a wide range of food products including fish products, meat products, dairy products, wine, beer, vegetables, fruits, nuts and chocolate. In non-fermented foods the presence of biogenic amines is mostly undesired and can be used as indication for microbial spoilage. In [[Fermentation in food processing|fermented foods]], one can expect the presence of many kinds of [[microorganism]]s, some of them being capable of producing biogenic amines.
Some lactic acid bacteria isolated from commercial bottled yoghurt have been shown to produce biogenic amines. 
They play an important role as source of nitrogen and precursor for the synthesis of [[hormones]], [[alkaloids]], [[nucleic acids]], [[proteins]], [[amines]] and food aroma components. However, food containing high amounts of biogenic amines may have toxicological effects.<ref name="Santos"/>

=== Determination of biogenic amines in wines ===
Biogenic amines are naturally present in grapes or can occur during the vinification and aging processes, essentially due to the microorganism's activity. When present in wines in high amount, biogenic amines may cause not only organoleptic defects but also adverse effects in sensitive human individuals, namely due to the toxicity of histamine, tyramine and putrescine. Even though there are no legal limits for the concentration of biogenic amines in wines, some European countries only recommend maximum limits for histamine. In this sense, biogenic amines in wines have been widely studied. The determination of amines in wines is commonly achieved by liquid chromatography, using derivatization reagents in order to promote its separation and detection. In alternative, other promising methodologies have been developed using capillary electrophoresis or biosensors, revealing lower costs and faster results, without needing a derivatization step. It is still a challenge to develop faster and inexpensive techniques or methodologies to apply in the wine industry.{{medical citation needed|date=January 2025}}