Abstract
Bacterial mutagenicity of shellfish or canned products of red-muscle fish affected by hot-airdry processings and/or during storages was investigated by Ames preincubation method. Mussel (Mytilus edulis) and surf clam (Tapes japonica) dried under either 40$\circ$C, 50$\circ$C or 60$\circ$C until remained about 25 % water content was stored at 4$\circ$C or 25$\circ$C for 6 months. Commercially available canned product of pacific saury (Cololabis saira) and mackerel saury (Scotnberjaponicus), whose producer or date of manufacture was identical each other, was stored at 25$\circ$C for 6 months. Mutagenic substances from sample (25 g dry weight) were extracted and purified for mutagenicity assay against S. typhitnurium TA98 by the simultaneous distillation extraction (SDE) method (Lee et al. 1955). Mutagenicity of sample was expressed number of revertant per 25 g dry sample. Number of revertant from unheated mussel sample was appeared to be 135, relative to 22 from unheated surf clam sample. Mutagenicity of both shellfish was strongly affected by heat treatment, but a lesser extent by storage conditions, even at 25$\circ$C for 6 months. Revertants of the mussel sample dried at 40$\circ$C, 50$\circ$C, or 60$\circ$C was found to be 227, 779, and 883, respectively. Similar, but lower, mutagenicity was observed from the sample of surf clam dried at 40$\circ$C, 50$\circ$C, or 60$\circ$C than mussel. Mutagenicity of canned pacific saury and mackerel samples was not influenced by storage conditions. Number of revertant from pacific saury was 175 which was relatively higher than 5 from mackerel. Mutagenicity of fresh pacific saury and mackerel samples was significantly higher than that of their counterparts from canned products. These results indicate that mutagenicity of the shellfish was affected by heat treatment (40$\circ$C, 50$\circ$C, or 60$\circ$C) used for drying process, but not much by storage for 6 months at 4$\circ$C or 25$\circ$C and the mutagenicity of canned products of red-muscle fish was not influenced by storage, even at 25$\circ$C for 6 months.
