Amino acid-decarboxylase activity of bacteria isolated from fermented porksausages

The occurrence of amino acid-decarboxylase activity in 92 strains of lactic acid bacteria, coagulase-negative staphylococci. and Enterobacteriaceae is olated from Spanish fermented pork sausages was investigated. The presence of biogenic amines in a decarboxylase synthetic broth was determined by ion -pair high performance liquid chromatography with o-phtalaldehyde post-colu mn derivatization. Among the 66 lactic acid bacteria strains tested, 21 lac tobacilli (in particular. Lactobacillus curvatus) and all 16 enterococci we re amine producers. Tyramine was the main amine produced by these bacteria, although they also produced phenylethylamine, tryptamine, and/or the diami nes putrescine and cadaverine. None of the lactic acid bacteria produced hi stamine. Coagulase-negative staphylococci were found to be negative amine-p roducers. Aromatic monoamines, apart from histamine. were not formed by Ent erobacteriaceae. This family was responsible for cadaverine and putrescine production. The results obtained for biogenic amine production by bacteria in a synthetic medium suggest that amino acid-decarboxylase activity is str ain dependent rather than bring related to specific species. (C) 2001 Elsev ier Science B.V. All rights reserved.