Screening of Some Market and Home-Made Pickles for their Genotoxicity

In the present paper 25 different types of market, home and laboratory made mango (Mangifera indica) pickle samples were tested for their possible genotoxicity owing to widespread adulteration in market pickles with chemical preservatives, colouring agents and low quality ingredients. Mutagenicity and antimutagenicity tests were performed using Ames' test and using standard chemical mutagens (aminopyrene, sodium azide and nitrosoguanidine). The 66.7% of packed market pickles showed positive antimutagenicity test; and 33.3% positive antimutangenicity test. 100% loosely sold pickles showed mutagenicity test positive and antimutagenicity test negative. Among home-made pickles, 60% showed antimutagenicity test positive, and 40% mutagenicity test positive. The laboratory-made pickles showed negative mutagenicity test and positive antimutagenicity test in all the pickles. The primary findings about the quality of pickles consumed by vast population showed that they are of poor chemical quality and alarming at their potential genotoxicity. On the contrary, the laboratory-made pickles prepared without any chemical preservatives and chemical colourants, and with selective quality ingredients and selective microbial culture mix showed that all the samples have antimutagenicity test positive and mutagenicity test negative.