ARCHIVES
VOL. 11, ISSUE 2 (2026)
Cytotoxic effect of monosodium glutamate (MSG) applied in fast food stalls of Malda, West Bengal using Allium cepa L. root tip assay
Authors
Gautam Mandal, Dr. Prasanta Kumar Garai, Dr. Sudipta Kumar Sil, Dr. Santanu Gupta
Abstract
Increasing consumption of fast foods day by
day can be directly correlated with enhanced application of different flavor
enhancer. One such compound applied in large scale in fast food stalls and
restaurants is Monosodium Glutamate. Different concentration of MSG (500 ppm
and 1000 ppm) on root tip meristematic cells of Allium cepa L. exerted
significant cytotoxic effect by lowering mitotic index and increasing the
abnormality index as compared to that of control. Induction of abnormal stages
like sticky bridges, nuclear lesions, distorted metaphase increased drastically
with concentration as well as exposure time (higher in root tips exposed to MSG
48 hours as compared to that 24 hours). The difference between mitotic index
was around 40% from the control set with the treated sets of MSG and rapid
increase of abnormality index was observed. This suggests an inhibitory on Allium
cepa L. root tip cells and also an indication of likely toxicity by
MSG. This experiment is our first attempt to calculate the cytotoxicity of MSG
and its futuristic impact on the vegetation growing in the vicinity of such
stalls. Also it is a possible indication of potential human hazard on long term
exposure to MSG.
Download
Pages:201-206
How to cite this article:
Gautam Mandal, Dr. Prasanta Kumar Garai, Dr. Sudipta Kumar Sil, Dr. Santanu Gupta "Cytotoxic effect of monosodium glutamate (MSG) applied in fast food stalls of Malda, West Bengal using <i>Allium cepa</i> L. root tip assay". International Journal of Botany Studies, Vol 11, Issue 2, 2026, Pages 201-206
Download Author Certificate
Please enter the email address corresponding to this article submission to download your certificate.