Formation of mutagens in cooked foods. VI. Modulation of mutagen formation by iron and ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (EDTA) in fried beef.

Mutagen formation during frying of beef is inhibited by the heavy metal chelator ethylenediaminetetracetic acid (EDTA). The addition of 1% EDTA prior to cooking reduces the mutagenicity of the basic extracts to about 60% of control values. The addition of iron as ferrous chloride or ferric chloride at 10 ppm (approximately 50% of endogenous concentrations) doubles the mutagenic activity of beef extracts. Iron, which can be released by denaturation of heme protein, therefore, can modulate the formation of mutagens in beef during cooking.