Seventy-seven LAB isolates obtained from naturally fermented pastes prepared from mackerel
(Scomber scombrus Linnaeus 1785) and sucrose (22:3, w/w) incubated at 15 and 228C were screened for their ability to produce biogenic amines by decarboxylation of the corresponding amino acids (histidine, tyrosine, lysine and ornithine). Histidine,tyrosine, lysine and ornithine degradation were tested in a pH-based differential medium for the detection of biogenic amine formation, the modified Moeller broth (Joosten and Northolt, 1987). Histamine for mation was confirmed by qualitative thin-layer chro matography, according to Lieber and Taylor (1978),using silica-gel plates (F , 20 254 3 20 cm, thickness of layer: 0.25 mm; Merck no. 5715, Darmstadt, Germany). Aliquots of 10 ml of modified Moeller broth inoculated with the bacterial cultures under study and incubated at 308C for 48 h were spotted onto the plates. Samples of modified Moeller broth containing added histamine were also spotted as a control. The samples were eluted with methanol–ammonia (20:1). After drying, the plates were de
veloped with ninhydrine spray reagent (300 mg of ninhydrine, 100 ml of n-butanol, 3 ml of glacial acetic acid). Histamine was detected as violet-grey spots (Rf 5 0.74). The detection level for this method 21 was 0.01 g l .