Inhibitory effects of nicotinic acid, glycine, and other food additives on biogenic amine formation in Baechu kimchi fermentation

The current study was performed to reduce biogenic amine (BA) content in Baechu (napa cabbage) kimchi using food additives for prevention of BA-related risks. Through in-vitro experiments, among 9 selected additives, nicotinic acid and glycine exhibited the highest inhibitory effects on the tyramine production of a prolific tyramine-producing Levilactobacillus brevis BC1M20, showing inhibition of up to 100% and 78%, respectively, depending on the concentrations tested, compared to the control. In Baechu kimchi fermentation experiments, tyramine content in kimchi prepared with L. brevis BC1M20 and either 1% nicotinic acid or 5% glycine was dramatically reduced by 90.66% and 82.51%, respectively, compared to naturally fermented kimchi. When compared to kimchi prepared with the inoculum and no food additives, remarkable tyramine reductions of 87.28% and 76.20% were achieved by 1% nicotinic acid and 5% glycine, respectively. With the additives, content of 3–5 other BAs was also considerably reduced by 22.57%–76.64%. Such reductions were likely attributed to the inhibition of growth and/or amino acid decarboxylase activity of BA-producing bacteria. Consequently, the findings of this study can be valuable in the prevention of BA-related food safety issues in kimchi. •Nine food additives were tested to evaluate their inhibitory effects on BA production.•Nicotinic acid and glycine significantly inhibited in vitro tyramine production.•Other acid-type and flavoring additives were less effective or inappropriate to use.•Tyramine and other BA content increased in naturally fermented Baechu kimchi.•The 2 additives greatly reduced not only tyramine but other BA content in kimchi.