Ion-Pair High-Performance Liquid Chromatographic Determination of Biogenic Amines in Meat and Meat Products

Twelve biogenic amines (tyramine, histamine, serotonin, β-phenylethylamine, tryptamine, octopamine, dopamine, putrescine, cadaverine, agmatine, spermine, and spermidine) were separated and quantified by a liquid chromatographic method in fresh and processed meat. The method consists of the separation of ion pairs formed between biogenic amines and octanesulfonic acid by reversed-phase column, a postcolumn derivatization with o-phtalaldehyde-2-mercaptoethanol, and spectrofluorometric detection. Results of the reliability study were satisfactory. The method was linear for each amine between 0.25 and 10 mg/L. Average recoveries ranged between 88 and 104%. The precision ranged between 0.75 and 9.09% (coefficient of variation) and determination limits were ≤1.5 mg/kg. The method was applied to pork and beef meat samples and to ripened and cooked meat products. Biogenic amine contents, in general, varied greatly among the different meat products as well as among samples of a single product type. Spermine and spermidine were always found in all samples. Average levels of tyramine, histamine, putrescine, cadaverine, and tryptamine were higher in samples of ripened meat products than those in fresh meat and in cooked meat products. Keywords: Biogenic amines; tyramine; histamine; meat; meat products; sausages