P XXI.8 – P XXI.8 inhibition of SOS response in E. coli PQ37 by heated turmeric and curcumin

Abstract

Turmeric and its active principle curcumin, commonly used oriental spice has been proved to possess antimutagenic potential. These have been tested in their raw forms. It is not known if antimutagenicity exists after exposure to cooking conditions. So heat treatment of these two substances were carried out to simulate cooking conditions namely boiling and frying and tested for antimutagenic property using SOS chromotest.Various concentrations of boiled/fried turmeric and curcumin were tested against 3, 5 and 10 ng of 4NQO for inhibition of SOS response. Pooled analysis of the data indicated that both turmeric and curcumin are capable of inhibiting SOS response in E. coli PQ37 even after heat treatment suggesting that cooking processes are unlikely to destroy its antimutagenic property.