Mutagenicity of Extracts from Composts of Organic Wastes

In this study, nine compost plants were surveyed with Ames test for mutagenicity of their raw organic wastes and compost products. The pre-incubation method was used for estimating mutagenicity using Salmonella typhimuyium strains TA98 and TA100 with and without S9mix. Extraction efficiency of the Soxhlet method was higher than sonication extraction for both raw organic wastes and compost products. It was also found that two or more extraction solvents with differing polarities (i.e. methanol and n-hexane) are necessary for extracting more diverse organic compounds. The results of the Ames test indicated that mutagenicity experiments should be conducted with frame shift type strain like TA98, at least. Furthermore, it was observed that mutagenicity levels varied with samplings at different seasons, indicating the necessity of seasonal surveys.