Tyramine production by a strain of Carnobacterium divergens inoculated in meat-fat mixture

This study determined if a strain of Carnobacterium divergens producing tyr amine in laboratory medium is able to produce this amine in meat. Thus the strain was inoculated into a sterile meat-fat mixture of initial pH 5.3 or 4.9 and incubated at 15 degrees C or 25 degrees C. Amine production in thes e samples was measured at 12 days and compared to that in non-inoculated sa mples. Non-inoculated samples and those inoculated with C. divergens had th e same low content of tryptamine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, spermi ne and spermine. Maximum tyramine and phenylethylamine production was obser ved in sample of initial pH 5.3 inoculated with C. divergens and incubated at 25 degrees C. The amount of tyramine produced correlated with the growth of the strain, and the amount of lactate and acetate produced. (C) 1999 El sevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.