Biogenic amines: a key freshness parameter of animal protein products in the coming circular economy

Multiplex Detection of Biogenic Amines for Meat Freshness Monitoring Using Nanoplasmonic Colorimetric Sensor Array

Biogenic amines (BAs) were presented as significant markers for the evaluation of the spoilage of meat and meat products. In this work, a colorimetric sensor array was developed for the discrimination and detection of spermine (SP), spermidine (SD), histamine (HS), and tryptamine (TP) as important BAs in food assessment. For this aim, two important spherical plasmonic nanoparticles, namely gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), were utilized as the sensing elements of the probes. The cross-reactive interaction of the target biogenic amines and the plasmonic nanoparticles caused the aggregation-induced UV-Vis spectra changes, which were accompanied by visual color variation in the solution. The collected responses were analyzed by principal component analysis-linear discrimination analysis (PCA-LDA) to classify the four BAs. This colorimetric sensor array can also discriminate between the individual BAs and their mixture accurately. Partial least squares regression (PLS-R) was also utilized for quantitative analysis of the BAs. The wide linear concentration ranges of 0.1-10.0 µM for the four BAs and desirable figures of merits (FOMs) showed the potential of the developed sensor for quantitative detection of the BAs. Finally, the practical ability of the developed probe was studied by the determination of the BAs in the meat samples, which successfully proved the potential of the colorimetric sensor array in a food sample.

Humanoid shaped optical fiber plasmon biosensor functionalized with graphene oxide/multi-walled carbon nanotubes for histamine detection

Histamine is a biologically active molecule that serves as a reliable predictor of the quality of fish. In this work, authors have developed a novel humanoid-shaped tapered optical fiber (HTOF) biosensor based on the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) phenomenon to detect varying histamine concentrations. In this experiment, a novel and distinctive tapering structure has been developed using a combiner manufacturing system and contemporary processing technologies. Graphene oxide (GO)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are immobilized on the HTOF probe surface to increase the biocompatibility of biosensor. In this instance, GO/MWCNTs are deployed first, then gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Consequently, the GO/MWCNTs help to give abundant space for the immobilization of nanoparticles (AuNPs in this case) as well as increase surface area for the attachment of biomolecules to the fiber surface. By immobilizing AuNPs on the surface of the probe, the evanescent field can stimulate the AuNPs and excite the LSPR phenomena for sensing the histamine. The surface of the sensing probe is functionalized with diamine oxidase enzyme in order to enhance the histamine sensor's particular selectivity. The proposed sensor is demonstrated experimentally to have a sensitivity of 5.5 nm/mM and a detection limit of 59.45 µM in the linear detection range of 0-1000 µM. In addition, the probe's reusability, reproducibility, stability, and selectivity are tested; the results of these indices show that the probe has a high application potential for detecting histamine levels in marine products.

Reduction of biogenic amines formation by foodborne pathogens using postbiotics in lysine-decarboxylase broth

Postbiotics is a novel term proposed to describe as a set of bioactive compounds obtained from beneficial microorganisms. In this work, postbiotics from four lactic acid bacteria (LAB) including Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris, Pediococcus acidilactici, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus were prepared in MRS broth. The antimicrobial properties and organic acids content of postbiotics were also investigated. Postbiotics were used to tentatively reduce the production of biogenic amines by foodborne pathogens (i.e., Salmonella paratyphi A and Escherichia coli) on lysine decarboxylase broth (LDB). Experimental data showed that acetic, propionic, and butyric acids were in the range of 387.51-709.21 mg/L, 0.00-1.28 mg/L, and 0.00-20.98 mg/L, respectively. The inhibition zone of postbiotics on E. coli and S. paratyphi A were 11.67, and 12.33 mm, respectively. Two different levels of postbiotics (25%, and 50%) were used in LDB to measure the diamines (cadaverine and putrescine), polyamines (agmatine, spermidine, and spermine, ammonia), and other biogenic amine formation by pathogens. E. coli produced cadaverine and putrescine with concentrations of 1072.21 and 1114.18 mg/L, respectively. The postbiotics reduced cadaverine formation by 67% in E. coli, and cadaverine production was mostly suppressed by postbiotics from P. acidilactici in E. coli (97%) and L. lactis subsp. lactis in S. paratyphi A (90%). Putrescine production by E. coli was reduced by 94% with postbiotics of P. acidilactici at a concentration of 25%, whereas putrescine production by S. paratyphi A has been decreased by 61% in the presence of postbiotics from L. lactis subsp. Lactis with a 25% concentration. The results revealed that an increase in postbiotics concentration (from 25% to 50%) in LDB may lead to synergistic effects, resulting from the production of biogenic amines by microbial pathogens. It was importantly concluded that postbiotics of LAB may degrade biogenic amines or prevent their formation by foodborne pathogens.

Bioinformatics analysis of amino acid decarboxylases related to four major biogenic amines in pickles

Microbial amino acid decarboxylases (AADs) produce biogenic amines (BAs) in fermented food. However, a systematic comparison of the AADs' properties from different microorganisms in pickle fermentation remains unexplored. Here, we bioinformatically analyzed the amino acid sequences of AADs corresponding to four major BAs for common microorganisms in pickle fermentation. We showed that their sequences, besides tyrosine decarboxylase, differed among microorganisms. Overall, the AAD sequences varied lesser among bacterial species than between bacteria and fungi, with those in Lactobacillus sharing occasionally high similarity with other bacteria. Most AADs were predicted as stable cytosolic endoenzymes. Molecular docking showed that most commonly used spice components in pickle production, especially pepper, chili, and ginger, strongly bind to the AAD active sites, thus may inhibit the enzymes and reduce the BA accumulation. This study provides insights for deeply understanding the different microbial AAD properties in pickle fermentation and reducing BAs by appropriately using spices.

A novel waste-recycled chelating agent for the stabilization of lead in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash: Preparation, feasibility, and mechanism analysis

There are two key issues in the area of waste management: one is stabilizing heavy metal, lead (Pb), in municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWI-FA), the other is enhancing nitrogen utilization efficiency from organic waste. However, the connection between both issues was limited. In this study, a novel organic chelating agent based on food waste, FW-CA, was produced for immobilizing Pb. A maximum 86.22% of polypeptide in hydrolysis liquid of FW was utilized for preparing FW-CA with a yield of 8.22 g/L. Results indicated that FW-CA-stabilized fly ash satisfied the criteria of GB 18598-2019 with a dosage of 4.6%, lower than the demand of pure chemicals and industrially applied chelating agents. After treating with FW-CA, the exchangeable and bound to carbonate fraction of Pb decreased by 5.08% and 18.57%, respectively, contributing to a low environmental risk class of the Pb assessment code. FW-CA effectively chelated Pb at a wider range of leaching pH (3.19-11.24), and the leachability was hardly affected by curing time, which were attributed to the presence of dithiocarbamate group and formation of cross-linked structure between Pb and sulfur. Overall, the unique waste-utilized chelating agent was a suitable alternative for Pb stabilization in MSWI-FA.

Biogenic Amines in Meat and Meat Products: A Review of the Science and Future Perspectives

Biogenic amines (BAs) can be found in a wide range of meat and meat products, where they are important as an index for product stability and quality, but also for their impact on public health. This review analyzes the scientific evidence gathered so far on the presence and role of biogenic amines in meat and meat products, also considering the effect of technological conditions on BAs accumulation or decrease. The data provided can be useful for developing solutions to control BAs formation during the shelf-life, for example by novel starters for dry cured products, as well as by packaging technologies and materials for fresh meats. Further research, whose trends are reviewed in this paper, will fill the knowledge gaps, and allow us to protect such perishable products along the distribution chain and in the home environment.

Smart choices: Mechanisms of intelligent food packaging

Intelligent food packaging is usually designed to monitor the state of the food itself and/or the environment around it, as well as the interactions between them, providing customers with information on food quality and/or safety through a variety of signals. They involve indicators (which inform by direct visual changes about specific properties related to food quality) and sensors (which detect specific analytes by using receptors, transducers, and signal processing electronics). A third type of intelligent packaging is known as data carriers, which are not typically used for information on food quality, but rather to track the movement of food along the food supply chain. In this graphical review, the basic mechanisms of intelligent food packaging systems are presented, as well as their main applications, with particular emphasis on those focused on food quality monitoring.

Detection of Histamine Based on Gold Nanoparticles with Dual Sensor System of Colorimetric and Fluorescence

Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs), with the dual sensor system of colorimetric and fluorescence responses, were developed for the determination of histamine as a spoilage monitor for distinguishing lifetime and freshness of aquatic products. Upon addition of histamine, the absorption coefficient orders of magnitude via the interaction of free electrons and photons were affected, and the characteristic absorption peak of Au-NPs was red-shifted from 520 nm to 664 nm. Meanwhile, the large amino groups in the networks of histamine-Au-NPs with high molecular orbital exhibited excellent fluorescence behavior at 415 nm. Au-NPs offered a range of 0.001-10.0 μM and 0.01-1.0 μM with a limit of detection of 0.87 nM and 2.04 nM by UV-vis and fluorescence spectrum assay, respectively. Moreover, Au-NPs could be used to semiquantitatively analyze histamine with the naked eye, since the significant colorimetric and fluorescence reaction of Au-NPs solution that coincided with different concentrations of histamine can be observed as the histamine concentration was 0.1-1.0 μM. Both of the dual-sensor systems of Au-NPs were successfully applied to the quantitative analysis of histamine in fresh salmon muscle, suggesting the simplicity and rapidity in the dual detection approaches of Au-NPs might be suitable for spoilage assay of aquatic food to ensure food safety.