Biogenic amines in meat and meat products: markers of quality and factors affecting formation

Silvana Stajković; Nedjeljko Karabasil; Đorđe Pajičić; Dragan Vasilev

doi:10.18485/meattech.2025.66.3.33

Silvana Stajković University in Belgrade - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2422-2279
Nedjeljko Karabasil University in Belgrade - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6097-3216
Đorđe Pajičić https://orcid.org/0009-0004-0777-3572
Dragan Vasilev University in Belgrade - Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Belgrade, Serbia https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4066-5731

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18485/meattech.2025.66.3.33

Keywords: Biogenic amines, meat, meat products, formation, quality, safety

Abstract

Biogenic amines (BAs) can be found in a wide range of meat and meat products, and, due to their toxicity, can cause adverse effects on the consumers. BAs are generally produced by microbial decarboxylation of amino acids in food products, and their formation is influenced by different factors associated with the raw material, microorganisms, processing, and conservation conditions. These factors do not act in isolation but rather have combined effects that dictate the final concentration of BAs in meat and products. Despite their strong influence on food quality, there is no specific regulation regarding BA content in meat and meat products, with the exception of histamine in fishery products. Therefore, the present paper reviews the main BAs in meat and products, effect of technological factors influencing biogenic amines content in meat and products and their use as markers of quality.