Biogenic Amines

Biogenic amines (BAs) are low-molecular-mass organic bases that occur in plant- and animal-derived products. BAs in food can occur by free amino acid enzymatic decarboxylation and other metabolic processes. Usually, in the human body, amines contained in foods are quickly detoxified by enzymes such as amine oxidases or by conjugation; however, in allergic individuals or if monoamine oxidase inhibitors are applied, the detoxification process is disturbed and BAs accumulate in the body. Knowing the concentration of BAs is essential because they can affect human health and also because they can be used as freshness indicators to estimate the degree of food spoilage.

A precise analysis of biogenic amines is important as an indicator of food freshness or spoilage that can cause serious toxicity. This book provides comprehensive background information on biogenic amines and their occurrence in various foods and drinks such as fermented and non-fermented sausages and fish products, cheeses, vegetables and beverages, e.g. beer, cider and wine. It gives a detailed description of both the established analytical methods and the emerging technologies for the analysis of them. As the first book on the detection of biogenic amines in all types of food, it provides help to get a better understanding of the risks associated with biogenic amines and how to avoid them. It serves as an excellent and up-to-date reference for food scientists, food chemists and food safety professionals.

Biogenic amines have been known for some time. These compounds are found in varying concentrations in a wide range of foods (fish, cheese, meat, wine, beer, vegetables, etc.) and their formations are influenced by different factors associated to those foods (composition, additives, ingredients, storage, microorganism, packaging, handing, conservation, etc.). The intake of foods containing high concentrations of biogenic amines can present a health hazard. Additionally, they have been used to establish indexes in various foods in order to signal the degree of freshness and/or deterioration of food. Nowadays, there has been an increase in the number of food poisoning episodes in consumers associated with the presence of these biogenic amines, mainly associated with histamines. Food safety is one of the main concerns of the consumer and safety agencies of different countries (EFSA, FDA, FSCJ, etc.), which have, as one of their main objectives, to control these biogenic amines, principally histamine, to assure a high level of food safety. Therefore, it is necessary to deepen our understanding of the formation, monitoring and reduction of biogenic amines during the development, processing and storage of food, even the effect of biogenic amines in consumers after digestion of foods with different levels of these compounds. With this aim, we are preparing a Special Issue on the topic of "Biogenic Amines in Food Safety", and we invite researchers to contribute original and unpublished research articles and reviews articles that involve studies of biogenic amines in food, which can provide an update to our knowledge of these compounds and their impacts on food quality and food safety.

Biogenic amines (BA) are sources of nitrogen and precursors for synthesis of hormones, alkaloids, nucleic acids and proteins, occurring in all organisms. Under normal condition in humans the consumption of food or beverages containing these compounds have not toxic effects because they are rapidly detoxified by the activity of the amine oxidizing enzymes, monoamine (MAO) and diamine oxidases (DAO). However in presence of high BA content, in allergic individuals or if MAO inhibitors are applied the detoxification system is not capable of metabolizing dietary intake of BA. This fact can induce toxicological risks and health troubles, but the European Union established regulation for just only histamine levels in fish and fishery products. The presence of BA in foods is due to the enzymatic decarboxylation of free amino acids by microorganisms that possess this activity. Many foods such as meat products, cheeses, fishes, fermented products and beverages could contain high levels of these compounds. Determination of BA rates in food are important as indicators of the degree of freshness or spoilage other then from the point of view of their toxicology. The content of the E-Book deals the presence of BA in some fermented and non fermented foods and the measures to control their content.

This volume reviews the known neurobiology of depression and combines classic data on antidepressant treatments with modern theory on the physiology of depression. It also discusses novel mechanism of action drugs.

Biogenic amines are bioactive compounds distributed in foods of all origins. Apart from their fundamental role in many bodily functions, there has recently been great interest in their toxicological potential, much research is being carried out to understand their occurrence related to both desired and undesired fermentative phenomena, chemical spoilage, low hygienic conditions, wrong handling, and criticism about technological factors of process and storage conditions. All these causes can contribute to a higher content of biogenic amines in food, particularly of those hazardous to human health. This book aims to collect scientific studies looking for new tools to limit the over-production of biogenic amines in food, search for new food sources of biogenic amines, and to spotlight the concept of safe food and bioactive amines content.

Wenner-Gren Center International Symposium Series, Volume 5: Mechanisms of Release of Biogenic Amines provides information pertinent to the fundamental aspects of the release of biogenic amines. This book discusses the physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology of the biogenic amines. Organized into 39 chapters, this volume begins with an overview of the release of amines, which is implicated in functional disturbances characteristic of different diseases. This text then examines the concepts of cell structure that are significant to the release of neurohumoral agents. Other chapters consider the fluorescence reaction, which made it possible to work out a practical histochemical procedure. This book describes as well a few examples in which the monoaminergic transmitter is not revealed as a diffuse cytoplasmic fluorescence. The final chapter deals with acetylcholine as the only brain amine investigated, which could be influenced by the tremorgenic agents during the period of tremor. This book is a valuable resource for biochemists, morphologists, pharmacologists, and physiologists.

Biogenic amines are naturally occurring amines that are derived by enzymic decarboxylation of the natural amino acids. They belong to a class of neurotransmitters including catecholamines (dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine), indolamine (serotonin), and imidazoleamine (histamine). Biogenic amines have great pharmacological and physiological importance. The main objective of this book is to present readers with comprehensive information on pharmacology, neurochemistry and molecular neurobiology of biogenic amine in the CNS of vertebrate and invertebrates in a single volume text. The book has been organised into chapters and sections to provide a better flow of information. Furthermore, this unique volume provides its readers with cutting edge information on biogenic amines. It can be used by graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, researchers, and scientists who work at the pharmaceutical industry as a handbook, which describes all aspects of biogenic amine metabolism.

Biological Markers in Psychiatry and Neurology is a collection of papers that details the advancement in the understanding of the biological markers that stems from psychiatric and neurological pathologies. The text first covers topics about various biological markers, such as neurochemical, enzymatic, membrane, receptors, endocrine, and physiological. Next, the selection examines the relationship between alcohol abuse and biological papers. The next part covers the genetic aspects of biological markers. The text also deals with use of tomography and modeling theory. The book will be of great use to students, researchers, and practitioners of neurology and psychiatry. Psychologists will also benefit from the text.