[Mutagens and antimutagens in food products]

Probable pathways of food contamination with environmental chemical mutagens and factors responsible for the formation of mutagens in food during cooking are reviewed, and natural and synthetic food components with mutagenic properties are described. The data discussed provide evidence for the expediency of further analyzing mutagenicity of various food components and developing chemical analytical methods for their detection and identification. Antimutagenic compounds present in food are characterized. The adequacy of methods for estimating the activity of these compounds and perspectives for their use as antimutagenic chemopreventive agents are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the necessity of being extremely cautious in employing food antimutagens because of the probable inversion of their effects. Several examples are provided to demonstrate the possibility of reducing mutagenicity of prepared food by modifying food processing technology.