Mutagenicity of flour from the palmyrah palm (Borassus flabellifer) in Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli.

Flour from the young shoots of the palmyrah palm (Borassus flabellifer) was tested in Salmonella typhimurium, strains TA98 and TA100 (Ames test) and Escherichia coli, strains WP2, WP2uvrA, CM881 and CM891. The flour was tested in two forms: boiled and raw. Both forms showed dose related mutagenic responses in the basepair substitution sensitive strains TA100 and Escherichia coli WP2uvrA, CM881 and CM891. The flour from boiled palmyrah shoots exerted a somewhat stronger mutagenic effect on TA100 than flour from the raw shoots. This investigation adds mutagenicity to the wide range of biological effects of palmyrah flour already described (induction of malignant lymphomas, immunosuppression, neurotoxicity and clastogenicity).