Detection and quantification of biogenic amines in fermented food products sold in Botswana

The incidence and concentrations associated with four important biogenic amines in leading commercial fermented beverages consumed in Botswana were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography. In 87 sorghum brew and 84 sour milk (madila, amasi) samples tested, putrescine was the most prevalent biogenic amine (63 and 61%, respectively), while histamine was the least prevalent (24 and 8%, respectively). Cadaverine was the most frequently detected biogenic amine in 79 of the commercial sour maize beverage (mageu/mahewu) samples tested (found in 70% of the samples), while tyramine was the least detected (occurring in 3% of the samples). In sorghum brew and sour milk, tyramine was found to be the most concentrated (mean concentration of 2.08 mg/100 ml and 3.2 mg/100 ml, respectively), and histamine was found to be the least concentrated (mean concentration of 0.94 mg/100 ml and 0.31 mg/100 ml, respectively). Overall, the biogenic amine concentrations of all three fermented products were within acceptable limits. However, one sorghum brew sample had a histamine content of 5.8 mg/ 100 ml, which was above the 5.0 mg/100 g allowable limit suggested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.