A review of biogenic amines and polyamines in beer

The presence of biogenic amines and polyamines in foods and alcoholic beverages is important from both toxicological and technological points of view. High amounts of these compounds can lead to health problems and accurate methods of determination, as well as knowledge on where the compounds originate and how they can be controlled at the lowest levels, are important in the food and beverage industry. In brewing, the types of amines are dependent on the raw materials in the beverage, as well as the method of brewing, and any microbial contamination that may have occurred during the brewing process or during storage. Studies looking at biogenic amine and polyamine levels in various beers have been carried out by a number of researchers in Europe, Brazil, Canada and Cuba. This paper reviews the work from studies carried out previously and summarizes the values found by the various research groups. Methods of analysis for the amines including HPLC, HPTLC and enzyme immuno-assays are reviewed.