Comparison of biogenic amine content in traditional and industrial French dry sausages

The amine content of sausages at 3 and 30 days of ripening was determined a nd correlated with the microbial flora. The putrescine, cadaverine, tyramin e, histamine contents were higher at 30 than at 3 days whereas that of phen ylethylamine was lower. A high content of histamine (150 mu g.g(-1) and 125 mu g.g(-1)) was found in the sausages from two industrial sources. The hig hest contents of putrescine (410 mu g.g(-1)) and tyramine (267 mu g.g-(1)), were found in the sausages with the highest microbial count (yeasts, cocci Gram positive, Pseudomonas). The production of these two amines was correl ated (r = 0.78). The amine content and bacterial count were not highly corr elated. No microbial strain produced high levels of tryptamine, cadaverine, putrescine, histamine. Some strains of Enterococcus, Lactobacillus curvatu s or Staphylococcus carnosus produced tyramine and phenylethyamine.