A new ultra-pressure liquid chromatography method for the determination of biogenic amines in cheese

A fast and reliable ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) method for the determination of biogenic amines (ethanolamine, methylamine, agmatine, histamine, dimethylamine, ethylamine, octopamine, pyrrolidine, dopamine, isopropylamine, propylamine, tyramine, putrescine, butylamine, cadaverine, tryptamine, 2-phenylethylamine, 3-methylbutylamine, spermidine, spermine) in cheese was established. After pre-column derivatization with 6-aminoquinolyl-N-hydroxy-succinimidyl carbamate (AQC), 20 primary and secondary biogenic amines were separated on an Acquity UPLC column (BEH C(18), 1.7 microm; 2.1 mm x 50 mm) within 9 min. Limits of detection (mg/100g cheese) ranged from 0.04 (ethanolamine) to 1.62 (spermine), and limits of quantification were between 0.16 (ethanolamine) and 6.09 (spermine). The UPLC method was applied to the analysis of 58 cheese samples as retailed in Austria. About 13.8% of samples had a histamine content above 10mg/100g, and 22.4% had a tyramine content above 10mg/100g. Moreover, 8.6% of samples had a putrescine or cadaverine content higher than 10mg/100g. The total concentration of biogenic amines in two cheese samples was about 194 mg/100g. Thus, obligatory monitoring of biogenic amines should be considered to ensure quality of cheese in future.