title: Effect of pH and ammonium ions on mutagenic activity in cooked beef.
abstract: Controversy surrounding the extraction procedure commonly used for isolating and concentrating mutagens from foods has resulted in a need for the re-examination of the reported mutagenicity in fried hamburgers. Using a procedure in which Na2SO4 and NaOH are substituted for (NH4)2SO4 and NH4OH respectively, mutagenic activity in extracts of hamburgers fried for 5 min appeared to be unchanged. However, when organic extractions are performed at pH conditions more moderate than those generally employed to isolate mutagens from foods, a 30-50% decrease in mutagenicity is observed.
mesh_terms: D000641:Ammonia / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D003296:Cooking; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis* / Q000633:toxicity; D009153:Mutagens / Q000302:isolation & purification*
chemical_list: D009153:Mutagens; D000641:Ammonia