Carcinogenic effect of biscuits made of flour infested with Tribolium castaneum in Bufo regularis.

Biscuits made of flour infested with Tribolium castaneum induced the formation of hepatocellular carcinomas (22%) when force-fed to toads (Bufo regularis) at a dose level of 200 mg/50 g 3 times a week. Maximal time of exposure and observation was 16 weeks. Some metastatic deposits from the primary liver tumours were found in the kidneys. Thus, the carcinogenic potency of the biscuits was almost the same as that of the flour previously reported by the authors indicating that the temperature of the oven in which the biscuits were baked did not alter the carcinogenicity of the infested flour.