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.