[Embryotoxic effects of some aromatizers for food products]

Embryotoxic action of phenylacetic, cinnamic acids and cinnamic alcohol in doses of 0.02 LD50 and 0.002 LD50 with their daily peroral administration to albino rats was analyzed throughout the whole of the period of pregnancy. Subject to determination were embryonal lethality, weight of the embryos, anatomic changes, dimensions of the skeletal ossification areas and also the content of nucleic acids in the liver of the ambryos. The development of progeny was followed up for a period of one month. Experiments were made on 99 female-rats from which there were obtained and studied over 600 embryos and about 500 born rattlings. Introduction of phenylacetic acid in a dose of 0.02 LD50 was followed by some delay in the ossification of the embryos skeleton. In other test series the embryotoxic effect of the study substances was not in evidence. Observations over the progency in the post-natal period failed to disclose any differences in the development of the test and control rats.