OCCURRENCE OF METHYLGUANIDINE AND AGMATINE, NITROSATABLE GUANIDINO COMPOUNDS, IN FOODS

Among naturally occurring guanidines, nitrosated methylguanidine (MG) has been reported to be strongly mutagenic and carcinogenic and nitrosated agmatine (AG) to be moderately mutagenic. A survey has been conducted on the 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; in addition, 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 to 178 mg/kg. Comparatively high concentrations of AG were detected in fresh abalone and top-shell muscles ranging from 40 to 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 was found to contain as high as 650 mg/kg of AG. © 1978, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.