No abstract

Among 27 mold isolates from decaying tomatoes, culture filtrates or ethyl acetate extracts of 8 isolates grown in yeast extract-sucrose medium were markedly toxic (mortality, >50%) to brine shrimp larvae. The toxicity of six of these isolates could be attributed to the presence of citrinin, tenuazonic acid, or T-2 toxin. Ethyl acetate extracts of five Alternaria isolates and one Fusarium isolate were mutagenic for Salmonella typhimurium strains. In ripe tomatoes inoculated with toxin-producing isolates and incubated at 25°C, one Alternaria alternata isolate produced tenuazonic acid in seven of seven tomatoes at levels of up to 106 [Lg/g and alternariol methyl ether in one of the seven tomatoes at 0.8 ,tg/g. Another A. alternata isolate produced tenuazonic acid or alternariol methyl ether at much lower levels in only three of seven tomatoes. Patulin and citrinin were produced by a Penicillium expansum isolate at levels of up to 8.4 and 0.76 ,ug/g, respectively. In tomatoes incubated at 150C, a Fusarium sulphureum isolate produced T-2 toxin, HT-2 toxin, and neosolaniol at levels of up to 37.5, 37.8, and 5.6 jtg/g, respectively. If these mycotoxins are thermostable, they may occur at detectable levels in tomato products whenever partially moldy tomatoes are used as raw material.

The mycotoxin, cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), was detected at concentrations as high as 9 ppm in 21 of 26 corn samples from a Bogor poultry feedmill. This is the first demonstration of the natural occurrence of CPA in Indonesia. CPA was always accompanied by other mycotoxins, especially aflatoxins, suggesting that the interactive toxicity of these mycotoxins to poultry should be investigated.

Cyclamate, cyclohexylamine, N-hydroxycyclohexylamine, and dicyclohexylamine can induce chromosomal damage in human leukocyte cultures.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract

Following a number of recent reports on the presence of mutagens in certain foods, a general survey of the mutagenic potential of a wide variety of food products has been initiated. Here, results for samples of 28 widely consumed beverages from 13 general categories are reported. Each sample was concentrated and fractionated by polarity and solubility to give up to seven fractions, each of which was assayed for mutagenic potential with Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100 +/- fortified liver homogenate. Fractions showing evidence of either mutagenicity or toxicity were retested at the same and lower concentrations. The utility of the fractionation procedure and the sensitivity of the screening strategy were established by assaying six beverages spiked with known mutagens prior to fractionation. Statistical analysis of the data resulted in positive findings for seven beverages, although confirmation of these results through analysis of a second sample was obtained only for red wine, grape juice, and instant coffee. The remaining 21 beverages showed no strong evidence of mutagenic activity. For those foods for which the variation among replicate plates was largest, the false-positive rate for the two-stage screening procedure employed was estimated to be less than 1% while the false-negative rate for a beverage inducing a threefold increase in the background mutation rate was conservatively estimated to be limited to 14%.