Detection of mutagenic potentials of some food dyes and their effects on ß-galactosidase

In this study, mutagenic potentials of some food dyes namely Ponceau 4R, Tartrazine, Indigotine, Cochineal Carmine and Sunset Yellow were tested by Salmonella/microsome test system and changing of the ß-galactosidase enzyme activity. Salmonella typhimurium TA 100 and TA 102 strains were used in this study. Bacterial mutagenicity tests were also performed with and without S9 fraction. In these tests, Sodium Azide used for Salmonella typhimurium TA 100 and Danomycine used for Salmonella typhimurium TA 102 in absence of S9 fraction. 2-Aminofluorene used for Salmonella typhimurium TA 100 and TA 102 strains in presence of S9 fraction. Ponceau 4R and Sunset Yellow were mutagenic without S9 mix. In the absence of S9 mix, revertant colony numbers of Ponceau 4R and Sunset Yellow were higher than negative control. On the other hand, Cochineal Carmine, Tartrazine and Indigotine have no mutagenic effect on all tested strains in the absence of S9 fraction. We determined, all of food dyes without Cochineal Carmine have mutagenic effect in the presence of rat liver enzymes. Among the tested food dyes, Ponceau 4R and Sunset Yellow were highly mutagenic. In this research, the effect of these food dyes on ß-galactosidase enzyme activity were also studied. The effect of these food dyes on ß-galactosidase enzyme activity were researched with ?ß-galactosidase Enzyme Activity Detection Kit?. Sodium azide that is a mutagenic substance was researched on ß-galactosidase enzyme activity. The effects of food dyes and sodium azide on ß-galactosidase were calculated by control enzyme (0,9229 ? 0,9235 U/ml) activity. Sodium azid, which was compared with the control enzyme (0,9235 U/ml) reduced the ß-galactosidase enzyme activity (51,11 % - 75,31 %). In this study, 25 ? 100 µl concentrations of Ponceau 4R (33,95 % - 67,32 %), Tartrazine (18,60 % - 37,24 %), Indigotine (3,85 % - 15,36 %) and Sunset Yellow (23,75 % - 55,36 %) were reduced the ß-galactosidase enzyme activity. But Cochineal Carmine (max. 1,73 U/ml) has almost no effect when compared to other food dyes on ß-galactosidase. In this study, the mutagenic food dyes wich were determined were most similar with the effective food dyes on ß-galactosidase enzyme. In this study, with reference to Salmonella/microsome test system and changing of the ß-galactosidase enzyme activity methods which were used to determine the mutagenic activity, among the tested food dyes, Ponceau 4R, Tartrazine, Indigotine and Sunset Yellow were mutagenic.