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Updated: Aug 15, 2026

An Introduction to Worm Lab: from Culturing Worms to Mutagenesis
Published on: January 11, 2011
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.
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