Removal of biogenic amines from hydroalcoholic solutions by functionalized silica.

The structure and the cation-exchange functional groups of hybrid silica materials were evaluated for the effective detoxification of hydroalcoholic solutions containing eight toxic biogenic amines (BA) usually found in fermented beverages. Results show the effectiveness of the removal is related to the number of amino functions in the extracted molecule, retention by the solid being more effective in the case of multiple amino groups, since retention is stabilized through interaction with the material surface at several points. BA with one amino function (isoamylamine, tyramine, β-phenylethylamine), in general, showed a weak retention by the solids. For BA with more than two amine groups (spermine, spermidine), the removal rate was close to 100% for all studied materials. For histamine, cadaverine and putrescine, the removal percentages were higher with a lamellar structured sulfonic acid functionalized material and with bifunctional materials (SBA-15 type and macroporous) containing sulfonic/phosphonic acid groups obtained by co-condensation sol-gel route.