Comparative Analysis of Biogenic Amines in Wines and Ciders

Biogenic amines are an important safety indicator for many food products. Although some countries have established maximum permissible values for histamine content in wines, this issue still remains understudied. This article introduces a comparative analysis of mass concentrations of biogenic amines in wines and ciders. Some wine and cider samples were produced in the Microwinemaking Laboratory, North Caucasian Federal Scientific Center for Horticulture, Viticulture, and Winemaking, while others were purchased in retail shops. The method of high-performance liquid chromatography made it possible to determine the mass concentration of biogenic amines. In the wines and ciders, the concentration of biogenic amines depended on the grape or apple variety, as well as on the presence or absence of biological deacidification. The total concentration of biogenic amines reached 9.55 mg/dm3 in the white wines and 12.01 mg/dm3 in the red wines. The biological deacidification by lactic acid bacteria increased the concentration of biogenic amines. The mass concentration of histamine was higher in the wines than in the ciders. No putrescine was detected in the ciders, but they demonstrated a higher content of cadaverine. The use of nitrogen-containing yeast dressings during fermentation increased the mass concentration of biogenic amines in both types of alcoholic beverages. The choice of optimal lactic acid bacteria and yeast dressings is important to reduce the level of biogenic amines in ciders or wines during deacidification since they may trigger the production of biogenic amines or introduce them in minimal quantities. The obtained results can be used to improve the existing safety indicators of mass concentrations of biogenic amines in wines and ciders. Further research will provide new methods for reducing the concentrations of biogenic amines in wines and ciders.