EFFECT OF BAKING AND FREEZE-DRYING ON THE DIRECT AND INDIRECT MUTAGENICITY OF EXTRACTS FROM THE EDIBLE MUSHROOM AGARICUS-BISPORUS

The objectives of the study were to evaluate the effect of baking and freeze-drying on the direct and indirect mutagenicity in the Ames test of ethanolic extracts from the edible mushroom Agaricus bisporus, Dir ect mutagenicity was not influenced by baking for 10 min at 225 degree s C, but more prolonged baking, for example 4 hr at 100 degrees C redu ced mutagenicity. Hepatic cytosol from Aroclor 1254-induced rats and m ushroom tyrosinase potentiated the mutagenic response elicited by the mushroom extracts. Baking did not influence either of these processes. Finally, freeze-drying influenced neither the direct nor the indirect mutagenicity of the mushroom extracts. It is concluded that mutagenic and premutagenic compounds present in mushroom are generally not heat labile. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.