ptomaines

views updated

ptomaines Loosely used term for amines formed by decarboxylation of amino acids during putrefaction of proteins, coined by Italian toxicologist Francesco Selmi, 1870: putrescine from arginine, cadaverine from lysine, muscarine in mushrooms, neurine formed by dehydration of choline. They have an unpleasant smell and were formerly thought to cause food poisoning.