The Mutagenic Effects of Sodium Nitrite and Monosodium Glutamate Used as Food Additives Demonstrated by the Salmonella Microsome Test System

Abstract

In this study, the mutagenicity of sodium nitrite (an antimicrobial agent) and monosodium glutamate (a flavoring agent), which are widely used as food additives, have been evaluated. They were tested for mutagenicity in the Salmonella/microsome test system by employing plate-incorporation test in the absence and presence of rat-liver fraction, S 9. No mutagenic activity was seen for monosodium glutamate in the Salmonella/microsome test system by using the tester strains Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535 and TA1538. Sodium nitrite was found mutagenic on S. typhimurium TA1535, whereas it was found weakly mutagenic on S. typhimurium TA100, in the presence and absence of rat-liver fraction, S 9.