Biogenic Amine Formation in “Bez Sucuk,” a Type of Turkish Traditional Fermented Sausage Produced with Different Meat: Fat Ratios

Abstract This study aims to evaluate biogenic amine levels of bez sucuks (BS) produced with different meat:fat ratios. For this, three BS groups were manufactured with meat:fat ratios of 90:10 (BS10), 80:20 (BS20), and 70:30 (BS30). The pH and water activity values and biogenic amine amounts of sucuk samples were determined during processing and storage periods and the pH values of the initial mixtures of BS samples were in the range 5.51-5.74, decreasing to 4.72-4.94 by the 14th day. The water activity values of BS samples showed significant decreases as a result of the drying stage and reached to range 0.913-0.935 on the 14th day of processing (p<0.05). Although BS10 had the highest tyramine (434.12 mg/kg), histamine (5.69 mg/kg), cadaverine (12.48 mg/kg), putrescine (17.83 mg/kg), 2-phenylethylamine (15.43 mg/kg), and tryptamine (122.41 mg/kg) levels at the end of processing stage (p<0.05), spermine and spermidine levels did not differ between the BS samples due to their utilization of different meat:fat ratios (p>0.05). Similarly, the tryptamine (205.11 mg/kg), putrescine (43.57 mg/kg), and tyramine (766.23 mg/kg) levels of BS10 were higher than BS20 and BS30 samples at the end of storage (p<0.05). The results showed that BS10 with the highest meat ratio had the highest tryptamine, putrescine, and tyramine levels at the end of the processing and storage period.