Biogenic amines (BAs) represent a considerable toxicological risk in some food and feed products. They are formed under unhygienic conditions during storage and processing; therefore, an increase in the concentrations of those metabolites is related to putrefaction. Because BAs are thermostable, they remain in food and feed that have undergone heat treatment. There are several toxicological effects, especially caused by histamine, when high concentrations of BAs are ingested by humans, depending on the food itself and also on individual susceptibility and individual health status. The present paper reviews the main BAs in meat products, their use as spoilage indicators, the risk on human health and also the contamination of by-product meals. Furthermore, we highlight the state of art regarding impact of BAs on poultry, meat and eggs.

Eggs are one of nearly perfect protein foods, offering nutrients of great biological value. However, during storage, egg albumen and yolk components may alter and deteriorate egg quality. Therefore, the aim of this work was to assess egg quality during 9-week storage. Parameters such as Haugh unit, weight loss, egg width and length, specific gravity, yolk and albumen dimensions and their pH were evaluated weekly. A total of 270 eggs (n=5) collected from two different hen strains were evaluated under room (20 to 35 °C in summer; 11.2 to 29.7 °C in autumn) and refrigerated (0 to 5 °C in summer; -3.1 to 6.5 °C in autumn) temperatures. For storage time, an unfolding analysis was accomplished by regression analysis using orthogonal polynomials. As a second approach, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed in order to assess correlations among quality parameters on storage conditions and laying hen strains. By the end of the 9-week storage period, eggs kept under refrigeration presented similar quality parameters to eggs stored at room temperature for only 3 weeks. In contrast, eggs kept at room temperature presented faster degradation from week 1 to 5. No differences on egg quality parameters were noticed between white and brown shells eggs. PCA suggests that better egg quality (first week) was associated mainly with higher egg weight and its specific gravity, Haugh unit and albumen height. Eggs stored at room temperature should be consumed in 2 weeks or refrigerated until 8 weeks, preserving internal quality from farm to retail.

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the fermentation effect with Rhizopus oryzae in the composition of whole rice bran, which was used as substratum for the fermentative procedure in tray bioreactors at 30 °C for 120 h. During the fermentation, samples were withdrawn in different times (0, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h) for physico-chemical determination using standard procedures. Reductions in moisture, fat, phytic acid, and reducing sugars content of rice bran were respectively 24.6%, 40%, 50%, and 60%. The fermented bran presented an increase of 30% in ash content, 50% in fibers, and 40% in proteins. The digestible amino acid determination indicated 27.6% increase in the digestibility of produced proteins. El experimento fue llevado a cabo para evaluar el efecto de la fermentación con Rhizopus oryzae en la composición de salvado de arroz, el cual fue usado como sustrato para el proceso de fermentación en biorreactores de bandeja a 30 °C durante 120 horas. Durante la fermentación, se tomaron muestras en diferentes momentos (0, 24, 48, 72, 96 y 120 h) para su determinación físico-química usando métodos estándar. La reducción en contenido de humedad, grasa, ácido fítico y azúcares reductores del salvado de arroz fueron respectivamente 24,6%, 40%, 50% y 60%. El salvado fermentado presentó un incremento en 30% de contenido de cenizas, 50% de fibras y 40% de proteínas. La determinación de aminoácidos digeribles indicó un aumento de 27,6% en la digestibilidad de proteínas producidas.