Biogenic Amines in Global Beverages

Biogenic amines (BAs) are organic, basic, nitrogenous compounds of low molecular weight, mainly formed by the decarboxylation of amino acids and with biological activity. They are involved in natural biological processes such as synaptic transmission, blood pressure control, allergic response, and cellular growth control. Nonetheless, BAs may be hazardous to human health if their levels in foods or beverages reach a critical threshold. Under normal circumstances, BAs are degraded by specific amine oxidases classified as monoamine and diamine oxidases and by specific amine N-methyltransferases (NMT) involved in BAs removal. However, if the amount of BAs ingested is too high or the activity of oxidases is inadequate, due to genetic reasons or inhibitor effects of some medicines or alcohol, BAs can cause food intoxication or intolerance. Generally, the good quality of raw material and hygienic practices during food processing as well as the use of starter cultures unable to produce BAs or oxidase-positive can minimize the occurrence of these metabolites. In this chapter, the content of BAs in the most common beverages is reported.