Effect of Wheat Grits Level on Biogenic Amines Formation in Traditional Kurdish Fermented Food Tarsas

Abstract

«Biogenic amines (BA) are nitrogenous compounds produced when amino acids undergo decarboxylation or amination by microorganisms. They are found in fermented foods like sauerkraut, beer, cheese, kimchi, soy sauce, and fermented vegetables. Tarasas is a traditional fermented Kurdish dish made from turnip roots, leaves, and wheat grits. The current study aims to investigate the effect of decreasing the amount of wheat grits used in the Tarasas product on the production of biogenic amines during fermentation. The study measured pH, titratable acidity, total nitrogen, soluble nitrogen, hydrolysis degree, and determination of biogenic amines (BA), in addition to lactic acid bacteria counts, during and after fermentation of Tarasas at 25°C in treatments with wheat grits ratios (100%, 75%, 50%, 25%, 0%) of the total weight of grits in the Tarasas product. The results were analyzed using SPSS. One-way analysis of variance and Duncan›s multiple-range test were used to test for significant differences between treatments. The results show a decrease in pH and an increase in titratable acidity (TTA). It was also observed that the degree of hydrolysis and the percentage of biogenic amines increased during the fermentation period. The growth of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) was also observed, with sharp rise levels on the 5th day, and the growth becomes less within 5–15 days of fermentation.»