This study aimed to investigate the presence of eight biogenic amines (BAs): tryptamine (TRP), phenylethylamine (PHE), putrescine (PUT), cadaverine (CAD), histamine (HIS), tyramine (TYR), spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM) in cheese, fish & fishery products and meat & meat products obtained from the Croatian retail market. A selective and robust method of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with diode array detection (DAD) was applied for the determination of BAs in a total of 91 samples in accordance with the performance criteria outlined in the European legislation. A high inter- and intra-food group variability of the amounts of BAs was observed. In the analysed samples, the most represented amines were TYR, HIS, CAD and PUT. Based on the highest content of the most toxic BAs (HIS and TYR) and consequential food safety concerns, the studied food groups can be ranked in the following order: cheese (HIS up to 106.4 mg/kg; TYR up to 206.6 mg/kg), fish &fishery products (HIS up to 98.8 mg/kg; TYR up to 47.9 mg/kg), and meat & meat products (HIS up to 20.0 mg/kg; TYR up to 117.5 mg/kg). The total BA content was significantly higher (p < .05) in fermented in comparison with other food. The study aimed to contribute to the knowledge on BA toxicity and food quality, as well as to support the indispensable future studies of consumption data and exposure assessment, to the end of defining allowable BA concentrations in food.
Keywords: Biogenic amines; Croatian market; cheese; fish and fishery products; meat and meat products.