Mutagen content of table wines made from various grape species and hybrid cultivars

Abstract

The mutagen content of wines produced from the European Vitis vinifera grapes was compared with that of wines produced from hybrids of V. vinifera and species indigenous to North America. Mutagens were extracted on an XAD-2 Amberlite resin column and activated with S-9 and/or faecalase in the Salmonella/microsomal mutagen assay. All white wines had insignificant mutagen levels. The only red wine to produce statistically significant reversion frequencies was that made from the Concord grape. The mutagens were shown to be extracted from the grape skins during fermentation.