Biogenic Amine Profiling of Fruit Wines by HPLC-FLD after OPA Derivatization: Association with pH and Fruit Type

Abstract This study aimed to characterize the biogenic amine (BA) profiles of fruit wines produced from different raw materials and to investigate their association with pH and fruit type. Ten commercially available fruit wines, including pomegranate, black mulberry, sour cherry, strawberry, melon, blackberry, and blueberry, were analysed using high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) following pre-column derivatization with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA). Putrescine, tyramine, and histamine were identified as the predominant amines, with total BA concentrations ranging from 11.62 to 53.96 mg/L depending on the fruit type. The pH values of the wines (3.28–3.60) were inversely related to acidity and showed a strong positive correlation with total BA content (r = 0.97, p < 0.001). Among the detected compounds, tyramine exhibited the highest sensitivity to pH variation. Multivariate analysis using principal component analysis (PCA) clearly differentiated the samples into two distinct groups: low pH–low BA wines (pomegranate and blueberry) and high pH–high BA wines (blackberry and strawberry). The HPLC-FLD method demonstrated excellent analytical performance, with high chromatographic stability (retention time RSD < 1%) and reliable compound identification. Overall, the results indicate that biogenic amine formation in fruit wines is closely associated with both pH and fruit type, reflecting the combined effects of raw material composition and fermentation conditions. These findings provide valuable insights into the biochemical characterization, quality assessment, and safety evaluation of fruit wines in oenological applications.