Abstract: Fermented foods are rich in protein and free amino acids, which are decarboxylated by microbial amino acid decarboxylase to produce biogenic amines. Excessive ingestion of biogenic amines poses a threat to human health. Tyramine, a biogenic amine having high toxicity, is present in fermented foods in large quantities, so developing safe and effective methods to control tyramine is of practical significance for improving the safety of fermented foods. In this article, the physiological functions, harms and limit standard of tyramine in fermented foods are described with an emphasis on the formation mechanism and control methods of tyramine, so as to provide theoretical references for further improving the safety of fermented foods.

Key words: biogenic amines; fermented foods; tyramine; formation mechanism; control methods