Biogenic amines in fermented foods: A comprehensive review from formation pathways, risk analysis, detection...

Biogenic amines (BAs), typically arising from the fermentation of protein-rich food matrices or products with extended fermentation cycles, posing significant food safety concerns. Excessive intake or long-term accumulation may lead to health hazards. Generally, the formation of BAs in fermented foods is primarily mediated by decarboxylase activity within BAs-producing microorganisms and influenced by multiple factors including raw materials, microbial communities, and fermentation conditions. Although various physical, chemical, and plant extract-based control strategies exist, microbial strategy offers greater promise as inherently compatible solutions, which function by competitively inhibiting BAs-producing microorganisms or utilizing microbial amine oxidases (e.g., monoamine oxidase, diamine oxidase) to degrade formed BAs, often concurrently enhancing product quality. Nevertheless, challenges persist in optimizing strain efficacy, stability, and large-scale production applications. Future research should focus on integrating microbial strategies with intelligent technologies like AI-driven biosensors for dynamic regulation, developing smart delivery systems for degradation strains and leveraging synthetic biology to enhance enzyme yields. This review systematically summarizes the formation, risk, detection and control of BAs in fermented foods, with a particular focus on microbial strategies, their mechanisms, and future prospects, aiming to provide a structured reference for related research and practical applications.