Genotoxicity of food industry wastwater

Wastewater occurs because of industrial production. Wastewaters contain microorganisms that can cause various diseases within their content. Furthermore, they can give rise to environmental and health issues due to their potential inclusion of harmful chemicals and heavy metals. In this study, the genotoxic effects of untreated and treated wastewater from the food industry on Klebsiella pneumoniae DNA were determined using the RAPD method. The acute toxicity effects were evaluated using the Microtox method, which utilizes the bioluminescent property of Vibrio fischeri. In addition, the cytotoxicity of the wastewater was assessed through the mitotic index values of Allium cepa root tip cells using the Allium test method, while its genotoxicity was evaluated using chromosomal aberration index values. In the RAPD-PCR method, the Genomic Template Stability (GTS) values were observed to reach 100 % in all the treated water concentrations. Measurements performed at 5 minutes and 15 minutes using the Microtox method revealed that closely similar values were obtained for both pre-treated and post-treated wastewater concentrations, indicating no significant difference among the wastewater samples. In the Allium test analysis, there was a statistically significant difference in mitotic index and chromosomal aberration index values of pre-treated wastewater concentrations compared to the control at 24 and 48-hour applications. On the other hand, no statistically significant difference was found in post-treated wastewater concentrations in terms of mitotic index and chromosomal aberration index values compared to the control. When comparing the obtained results, it can be observed that the results from the Allium test are in line with the results obtained in the RAPD method. Results of the analysis indicate a decrease in toxic effects following wastewater treatment. Considering the experimental results, it can strongly be emphasized that food industry wastewater should not be released to nature without treatment.