Analysis of ten underivatized biogenic amines in meat by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS).

Biogenic Amines (BAs) are basic nitrogenous compounds considered to be important indicators of freshness and quality in food (1). Over the years, various methods have been proposed for analyzing BAs in food, with the use of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to a number of detectors. The most frequently used methods are based on derivatization reactions and separation processes followed by ultraviolet (UV) or fluorescence (FL) detection (2). In this work, a new analytical method for analyzing ten underivatized BAs in meat by HPLC-MS/MS has been developed. Comparison between ion trap and triple quadrupole as mass analyzers indicated that the latter provides greater sensitivity and selectivity. The range of calibration curves correlation coefficients of the analyzed compounds was 0.987-0.999, and the Limits of Detection (LODs) and Limits of Quantification (LOQs) were in the range of 0.002-0.1 mg l-1 and 0.008-0.5 mg l-1, respectively. Once validated, the method was used to analyze the concentrations of BAs in sixteen commercial meat samples, for evaluating the freshness of food through the study of BA indices, i.e. Biogenic Amine Index (BAI) and the spermidine/spermine (SPD/SPE) ratio. The results indicated that all samples were fresh, with a BAI lower than 1.49 mg kg-1 and a SPD/SPE ratio lower than 0.41, in each case. This methodology for testing the freshness of meat has potential for quality control applications along the entire production chain of meat products.