BIAMFOOD - Controlling Biogenic Amines in Traditional Food Fermentations in Regional Europe

Food fermentations are among the traditional industries that have a long standing history worldwide. In spite of great technological advantages, much of the industry is still based on traditional, experienced-based techniques that are strongly rooted in specific geographic regions. In food fermentations, consortia of microorganisms are essential to the process, and determine the characteristics of the end products. They also are responsible for the production of biogenic amines (BA) that may cause serious human health problems following ingestion of fermented foods containing high concentrations of these compounds.
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This project focuses on the microorganisms in the food chain that produce biogenic amines with the main goal to improve the quality of traditional fermented food products by reducing/eliminating their biogenic amine content. Control of biogenic amines in the food products will significantly reduce the health risk for the consumer and, thereby, increase the competitiveness of the local industries. The challenge for the food industry is to produce food and beverages in which the levels of BA are minimized. The project focuses on three different fermentation processes in four different region of Europe.