Abstract

Three spices, nutmeg, mace and black pepper, and selected oil constituents, safrole, eugenol and myristicin, were tested for mutagenicity using the Aines test.

Safrole, an oil constituent, is a weak hepatic carcinogen in the rat and mouse. Safrole metabolites are more mutagenic than the parent compound. Myristicin and eugenol are structurally related to safrole and break down into similar metabolites as safrole. All three are present in nutmeg, mace and black pepper. These three spices were tested for mutagenicity in the Salmonella/microsomal mutagenicity test using strains TA1535, TA1537, TA1538, TA98 and TAlOO with and without metabolic activation. Safrole, eugenol and myristicinwere tested with metabolic activation. Safrole was shown to be a weak mutagen to TA1535 and TA1538. Mace and black pepper were shown to be weak mutagens to TA1537 with and without metabolic activation. Nutmeg exhibited no mutagenic activity in any strain. It is hypothesized that the mutagenicity of the spices was not due to safrole alone but that other unidentified oil constituents may have contributed to the mutagenicity in this test.

Department

Nutrition

School

Graduate School

First Advisor

Ella H. Haddad

Second Advisor

Barry L. Taylor

Third Advisor

Grenith J. Zimmerman

Fourth Advisor

Winston J. Craig

Fifth Advisor

Kenneth I. Burke

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Degree Level

M.S.

Year Degree Awarded

1981

Date (Title Page)

6-1981

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Mutagenicity Tests; Condiments

Type

Thesis

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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