Study of histidine degradation and assessment of histamine content in red wines during the malolactic fermentation [articol]

Abstract

Malolactic fermentation is a secondary fermentation which takes place in wines, leded by lactic acid bacteria, which converts L-malic acid in L-lactic acid and carbon dioxide. Biogenic amines are produced especially by lactic acid bacteria during malolactic fermentation through decarboxylation of amino acids. The amino acids from wines can be decarboxylate resulting biogenic amines: histamine from histidine, tyramine from tyrosine and putresceina from ornithine. In this paper we have monitored the dynamics of histidine metabolism during malolactic fermentation and histamine content was determined before and after malolactic fermentation, in spontaneous and directed conditions. The results of this study shows that when wine pH is high, degradation of histidine is increased and the amount of histamine produced after malolactic fermentation is higher. On the other hand, the results of paper show that increases of histamine content, especially in uninoculated samples of wine with selected malolactic bacteria, when the malolactic fermentation took place spontaneously based on indigenous microflora.