Biogenic amine content in sterilised and pasteurised long-term stored processed cheese

The contents of eight biogenic amines (tryptamine, phenylethylamine, histamine, tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine, spermidine and spermine) were determined in samples of processed cheese, either pasteurised (P) or sterilised (S), and consequently stored for either 22 or 57 weeks at the temperatures of 8°C and 22°C, respectively. Tyramine was quantitatively the most important biogenic amine (1.3-29.3 mg/kg); the highest level (P < 0.05) was found in P cheese stored for 22 weeks after processing at 8°C (P1). Regardless of tyramine, and with the exception of putrescine in S cheese stored for 57 weeks (2.2 mg/kg), the content of no biogenic amine exceeded 2 mg/kgin any tested sample. Significantly higher (by five to six orders of magnitude; P < 0.05) counts of total aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms in P1 sample in comparison with all other samples were indicative of the cover leakage. No lactic acid bacteria were detected in any sample, the counts of coliforms and total anaerobes, respectively, were negligible and did not differ (P> 0.05) between samples. No sample of the tested long-term stored processed cheese was considered unsafe from the toxicological viewpoint.