Evolution of free amino acids, biogenic amines and n-nitrosoamines throughout ageing in organic fermented beef.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, interest in uncured meat products has grown and studies were carried out on the use of substances which could replace nitrites, such as acid whey. In spite of this problem in fermented meat products, there is no information regarding the effects of prolonged ageing on the formation of chemical (nitrosoamines, biogenic amines, secondary lipid oxidation products) and microbiological (L. monocytogenes, S. aureus, OLD) toxicants in fermented beef marinated with acid whey. The aim of this study was to determine the selected pathogenic bacteria, biogenic amines, N-nitrosamines contents in fermented beef subjected to extended ageing.

METHODS: In this study, selected pathogenic bacteria, N-nitrosamines, biogenic amines, amino acids, TBARS values changes during the ageing of fermented beef marinated with acid whey were analyzed in 0-, 2- and 36-month-old samples.

RESULTS: The pH values of fermented beef aged for 2 months (5.68, 5.49 and 5.68 respectively) were significantly lower (p < 0.05) than those obtained after the end of the manufacturing ripening period (5.96, 5.97 and 5.74 respectively), which confirmed the effectiveness of the fermentation process of acidification on beef. The high Lactic Acid Bacteria content (5.64-6.30 log cfu/g) confirmed this finding. Histamine was not detected in either of the products. The highest concentration of total biogenic amine (i.e. 1159.0 mg/kg) was found in fermented beef marinated with acid whey, whereas a total of only 209.8 mg/kg, was observed in control beef with nitrate and nitrite. N-nitrosamines were not detected in any of the ageing beef samples.

CONCLUSIONS: In this study, marinating beef in acid whey did not inhibit the production of biogenic amines in the samples analyzed. The high concentration of FAAs, the potential precursor of BA, could lead to intense peptidase activity. The results obtained indicate that biogenic amines are not direct precursors for nitrosamines formation in fermented beef. The LAB strain from acid whey reduced the pH value during the first stages of ageing and ensured the microbiological safety of the product not only in the first stage of fermentation but also at the end of ageing (36 months).