Evaluation of Polyamines of Common Mackerel during Storage as Indicators of Decomposition

As a possible index to measure the decomposition of seafood, changes in 7 polyamines (tyramine, putrescine, cadaverine, histamine, agmatine, tryptamine and spermidine) contents were determined every two months for a year in samples of common mackerel stored for 12 days at 5°C or for 3 days at 30°C.It was found that the levels of polyamines increased in a non-linear fashion during storage and then fell gradually after reaching a maximum value. However, changes in polyamine contents in the samples did not always follow the same general pattern and did not correlate with the progress of decomposition. Polyamines would not be reliable as an indicator of fish decomposition.