Food Additives And Their Mutagenicity

Abstract

Sweet and flavours, vital constituents of food are indispensable to the modern day consumer as a means for the rapid identification and ultimate acceptance of food. A large number of natural or synthetic food additives have been removed from both national and international lists of permitted food additives because of their mutagenic or carcinogenic activity. To the majority of the food additives, JECFA/FAO has assignedAdmissible Daily Intake Dose �-ADI, which are often temporary and emphasized the need for further genotoxic evaluation, since a number of them are reported to be genotoxic below the ADI dose. In India, the problem is severe because in spite of regulation and restrictions by the prevention of Food Adulteration Act of 1954, use of non-permitted food additives are prevalent. In the present study, the mutagenic effects of sweeteners, saccharin (sweetex) and aspartame (sugar free) and flavouring agents such as vanilla essence, soy sauce, chilly sauce, worcestershire sauce, ice cream essence and rose syrup were tested utilizing Ames Salmonella microsome assay. Salmonella typhimurium strains such as TA 98 and TA 100, with and without metabolic activation were used. The results showed that all the food additives were found to be mutagenic except vanilla essence and ice cream essence.