Occurrence of methylguanidine and agmatine, nitrosatable guanidino compounds, in foods
Kawabata, T.; Ohshima, H.; Ino, M.
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 26(2): 334-338
1978
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-8561
PMID: 632423
DOI: 10.1021/jf60216a038
Accession: 006018521
Among naturally occurring guanidines, nitrosated methylguanidine (MG) was reported to be strongly mutagenic and carcinogenic and nitrosated agmatine (AG) to be moderately mutagenic. A survey was conducted on MG and AG contents of various fresh and processed foods. No appreciable amount or trace amounts of MG could be detected in fresh beef, pork, chicken and various fish and shellfish; almost the same low levels of MG were detected in various processed foods, except for the cases of smoked-dried fish products called 'Katsuo-bushi' and 'Kezuri-bushi' in Japanese, and the MG values for these products ranged from 18-178 mg/kg. Comparatively high concentrations of AG were detected in fresh abalone and top-shell muscles ranging 40-200 mg/kg among the fresh foods tested, while fairly high concentrations of AG could be detected in some processed foods in which dried squid apparently contained as high as 650 mg/kg of AG.