Reduction of biogenic amines production by eliminating the PEP4 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae during fermentation of Chinese rice wine

Biogenic amines in Chinese rice wine have a potential threat of toxicity to human health. In this study, PEP4 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was knocked out in order to evaluate its effect on biogenic amines production; the enzyme encodes proteinase A (PrA), an enzyme that is responsible for the production of free amino acids. It was found that compared to the wild type strain, the PrA activity and amino acid concentration decreased significantly, and the production of biogenic amines in this knockout strain decreased by 25.5%, from 180.1 mg/L to 134.2 mg/L. Especially, tyramine, cadaverine and histamine concentrations were also decreased by 57.5%, 24.6% and 54.3%, respectively. The main reason for the decrease of biogenic amines may be due to the low concentration of free amino acids. Our results provide a new strategy to minimize the biogenic amine production during fermentation of Chinese rice wine.