Mutagenicity screening of foods. II. Results with fruits and vegetables.

A survey of the mutagenic potential of a wide variety of food products has been initiated with results for 28 different beverages reported previously [Stoltz et al, 1982b]. Here, results for samples of 46 widely consumed fruits and vegetables from six general categories are given. Each sample was concentrated and fractionated by polarity and solubility to give five fractions, each of which was assayed for mutagenic potential with Salmonella typhimurium TA98 and TA100. Although statistical analysis of the data resulted in positive findings for 22 fruit and vegetable samples, only six products (grapes, onions, peaches, raisins, raspberries, strawberries) demonstrated potent mutagenic activity.