2026 Volume 13 Issue 5 Pages 197-208
Anserine (β-alanyl-1-methyl-L-histidine) is a kind of imidazole dipeptide (IMDP) contained abundantly in skeletal muscles of chickens, salmon, tuna, bonito, and other species. IMDPs possess antioxidant activity, and their consumption confers several health benefits. We prepared a highly purified anserine (approximately 75% purity) from salmon using hot water extraction, followed by ion exchange treatment and membrane separation technology. We report the results of different safety tests conducted using the purified salmon anserine. No deaths were observed in a single-dose toxicity test in mice, and the LD50 value of purified salmon anserine was estimated to be >5,000 mg/kg body weight. In a 90-day repeated-dose toxicity study in rats at 1,300 mg/kg body weight/day, no toxicological changes were observed between treated and control rats regarding body weight, food intake, urinalysis, blood biochemistry, pathological examination, or organ weights. Furthermore, no mutagenicity was observed in the Ames test using Salmonella typhimurium (S. typhimurium) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Together, these findings indicate that purified salmon anserine is a safe food ingredient under all the conditions tested.
