抄録
The use of dyes is one of the most controversial advances for the food industry because from a health point of view, such dyes, mainly the artificial dyes are not recommended. The objective of this study is to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of the food dyes sunset yellow and Tartrazine on the cellular cycle of Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Germinated root tips were treated with graded concentrations (viz. 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2%) of sunset yellow and Tartrazine dyes along with a control set (roots dipped in distilled water) for duration of three hours. Roots were then fixed in Carnoy’s fixative and preserved in 90% alcohol. Slides were prepared and cells were analyzed during the whole cell cycle for evaluation effect of food dyes. Mitotic analysis clearly revealed that the azo dye induced endpoint deviation like reduction in the frequency of normal divisions in a dose dependent manner. The results showed that the two dyes used under the evaluated concentration were cytotoxic to the cells of the system used. Mitosis was found to be quite normal in control plants. An inverse relationship between the active mitotic index (AMI) and concentration of food dyes was scored. However, as a result of the treatment on root tip cells, various chromosomal anomalies were induced such as stickiness, fragmentation, precocious movement, C-metaphase, bridges and unorientation and so on. The stickiness was found to be predominant abnormality in both the treatments. These irregularities were more at the higher concentration of Sunset yellow and Tartrazine i.e. 2%. The result concluded that Tartrazine was more cytotoxic than Sunset yellow.
