Changes in the content of biologically active polyamines during storage and cooking of pig liver

Dietary polyamines putrescine (PUT), spermidine (SPD) and spermine (SPM) participate in numerous human physiological processes, including tumour growth. Eight experiments with pig liver were carried out. In two, livers were stored at −18 °C for 168 days, in four, livers were stored aerobically (AE), vacuum-packaged (VP) and packaged in a modified atmosphere (MO; 70% N2 and 30% CO2, v/v) at +2 °C for 9, 21 and 21 days, respectively, and in two, the effects of four cooking treatments were tested. Polyamines were determined as dansyl derivatives using an HPLC method. Distribution of both SPD and SPM in the four main liver lobes was homogenous. The initial SPD and SPM contents in 14 livers 24 h after slaughter were 23.3 ± 6.7 and 94.5 ± 19.6 mg kg−1, respectively. The putrescine content was below the limit of detection. The content of SPD and SPM decreased during frozen-storage to about 70% of the initial values. On day-9 of storage, mean SPD and SPM contents decreased to about 85% of the initial values in livers stored in MO and to about 75–80% in AE and VP at 2 °C. The decrease continued more extensively in VP than in MO. PUT was detected from day-15 of VP and MO storage. There was a significant decrease in SPD and SPM, to about 70–60% of the initial content during cooking.