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Published on: January 13, 2017
Biogenic amine-forming microbial communities in cheese
Radka Burdychova1, Tomas Komprda
1Department of Food Technology, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic. burdycho@node.mendelu.cz
FEMS Microbiology Letters
|October 25, 2007
Summary
This study screened cheese microbes for biogenic amine production. A Lactobacillus helveticus strain from a starter culture produced tyramine, indicating a potential risk in cheese ripening.
Area of Science:
- Food microbiology
- Biotechnology
- Dairy science
Background:
- Biogenic amines (BAs) can form in cheese during ripening, impacting quality and safety.
- Certain bacteria possess enzymes like tyrosine decarboxylase (tyrDC) and histidine decarboxylase (hDC) responsible for BA production.
- Screening starter cultures and cheese microbiota is crucial for controlling BA formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To screen cheese starter cultures and microbial communities for biogenic amine production potential.
- To identify bacteria capable of producing tyramine and histamine in semi-hard cheese.
- To investigate the genetic basis and taxonomic origin of BA-producing bacteria.
Main Methods:
- Isolation and cultivation of bacteria (Enterococcus, Lactobacillus, coliforms) from Dutch-type semi-hard cheese.
- Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to detect tyrosine decarboxylase (tyrDC) and histidine decarboxylase (hDC) genes.
- Decarboxylase screening medium and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) for tyramine and histamine quantification.
- Conventional and molecular taxonomic analyses for bacterial species identification.
Main Results:
- PCR confirmed tyrDC in 14 Enterococcus and 3 Lactobacillus isolates, and hDC in 3 isolates.
- HPLC analysis detected tyramine and histamine production in 13 tyrDC- and 3 hDC-positive isolates.
- Identified bacterial species included Enterococcus durans, E. faecalis, E. faecium, E. casseliflavus, Lactobacillus curvatus, L. lactis, and L. helveticus.
- A Lactobacillus helveticus strain from a starter culture tested positive for tyrDC and produced tyramine.
- Most identified Enterococcus and some Lactobacillus strains originated from contaminating microbial communities.
Conclusions:
- A Lactobacillus helveticus strain within a starter culture demonstrated the potential to produce tyramine during cheese ripening.
- The presence of specific DNA sequences for tyrDC and hDC correlates with biogenic amine production.
- Contamination by certain bacterial species poses a risk for biogenic amine formation in cheese.
- Further research is needed to manage and mitigate biogenic amine production in cheese by starter cultures and microbiota.
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