EVALUATION OF MUTAGENIC POTENTIALITY OF SOME COOKED CHICKEN EXTRACTS USING THREE MUTAGENICITY TESTING ASSAYS

Cooking of food is a process unique to humans. It enhances the taste and digestibility of food so much that its beneficial nature is taken for granted. However, it induces profound changes in all types of foods. Several lines of evidence indicate that diet and dietary behaviors can contribute to human cancer risk. One way that this occurs is through the ingestion of food mutagens (Goldman and Shields, 2003; Li et al., 2007; Kabat et al., 2008). Thirty years ago, the discovery that cooked fish and beef showed high mutagenic activity, as detected by the Ames/Salmonella test system (Commoner, et al., 1978), began an intensive search for the mutagens present in these foods. A number of studies showed that these mutagens were formed during the pyrolysis of amino acids and proteins and during the cooking of a variety of muscle meats (Wakabayashi, et al., 1993). The novel mutagens were identified as heterocyclic amines (HCAs). The major subclass of HCAs found in cooked meats was identified as the aminoimidazoazaarenes (AIAs), which includes those compounds with a quinoline, quinoxaline or pyridine moiety. Recent studies indicated that the AIAs are present at the p.p.b. (ng/g) range in meats cooked by ordinary household methods (Wakabayashi, et al., 1993; Ni et al., 2008). The formation of these compounds in meats depends largely on cooking temperature and duration (Sinha, et al., 1995). However, chemical modeling has shown that several of the AIAs are produced by the reaction of creatinine and free amino acids at normal cooking temperatures (reviewed after Felton and Knize, 1990). These com- pounds are distinct from the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons derived from the pyrolysis of fat in meat, which occurs, for example, during barbecuing. In addition to their mutagenic activity in in vitro assays, 10 HCAs bioassayed for carcinogenicity to date have been shown to be carcino- genic in rats and/or mice (Ohgaki, et al., 1991; Kimura et al., 2003). One of the AIAs, IQ, has also been shown to be carcinogenic in monkeys (Adamson et al., 1990). Since the identification of HCAs in cooked meats, considerable progress has been made in characterizing HCA-DNA adducts and clarifying pathways of me- tabolism necessary for DNA adduct for- mation. In addition, many investigations have attempted to relate HCA–DNA adduct formation to mutagenic and car- cinogenic activity. Cytogenetic assays, including chromosomal aberrations, mi- cronucleated normochromatic erythro- cytes and sister chromatid exchanges of bone marrow and peripheral blood of rodents dosed with HCAs, indicate that the HCAs and, by extension, AIA–DNA adducts, appear to be only weakly clastogenic in vivo (Tucker, et al., 1989; Pfau et al., 1999). Many investigations demonistrated that HCAs have a potent mutagenic activity in Drosophila mutagenicity assays; sex-linked recessive lethal (SLRL) (Fujikawa et al., 1983), somatic mutation and recombination test (SMART) either in wing spot assay (Graf et al., 1992; Delgado-Rodriguez. et al., 1995) or in eye spot assay (Fujikawa et al., 1983). More- over, the results show structure-activity relationships among the heterocyclic aro- matic amines and nitro compounds similar to those found in Salmonella, which is indicating that the Drosophila short-term test is promising for quantitative pre- screening of potential carcinogens. Nowadays, fast food series for fried and vertical broiled chicken become two of the most common meals over the world. In addition, microwave cooking becomes more easy way of modern cooking methods. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the mutagenic potentiality of food mutagens formed in chicken meat during frying, broiling and microwave cooked chickens on yeast, Drosophila and rat systems. The food mutagens, which may be formed in cooked chicken, were extracted using blue rayon method.