Influence of Essential Oils on Inhibiting Biogenic Amine-Producing Bacteria in Xinjiang Smoked Horsemeat Sausage

(1) Background: Xinjiang smoked horsemeat sausage is a popular food; however, bio-genic amine (BA) production is a concern for food safety. (2) Methods: the present study selected the three most toxic BAs for food safety (histamine, tyramine, and putrescine) and determined the bacteria that produce them. (3) Results: After 24 h of incubation, fifteen isolated strains, especially <i>Enterobacter ludwigii MT705841</i> and <i>Enterobacter bugandensis MT705832</i> produced putrescine (485.52 μg/mL and 408.95 μg/mL, respectively, <i>p</i> < 0.05); eight isolated strains, especially <i>Proteus vulgaris MT705833</i> and <i>Bacillus subtilis MT705839</i> produced histamine (63.86 μg/mL and 30.40 μg/mL, respectively, <i>p</i> < 0.05); and 14 isolated strains, especially <i>Staphylococcus saprophyticus MT705831</i> and <i>Proteus penneri MT705835</i> produced tyramine (482.26 μg/mL and 497.76 μg/mL, respectively, <i>p</i> > 0.05). Artemisia oil moderately inhibited <i>P. vulgaris MT705833</i> and <i>B. subtilis MT705839</i> after 48 h of in vitro incubation, decreasing histamine production by 44.83% and 47.92% for these two bacteria after 24 h and 20 h of incubation, respectively. Cinnamon oil strongly inhibited putrescine production by <i>E. bugandensis MT705832</i> and <i>E. ludwigii MT705841</i>, decreasing production by 96.63% and 92.03% for these two bacteria after 24 h of incubation, respectively. Grapeseed oil slightly inhibited <i>P. penneri MT705835</i> tyramine production (only after 4 h of incubation) and had an unstable inhibitory effect on <i>Citrobacter freundii MT705836</i> tyramine production. (4) Conclusions: the results of this study suggest that cinnamon oil can be an effective food additive for the prevention of BA production in Xinjiang smoked sausages.