Abstract: Electron beams of 0, 1, 3 and 5 kGy were used to irradiate rice. The Ames test, bone marrow cell micronucleus test and mouse sperm abnormality test were conducted to evaluate the genetic toxicity of irradiated rice. The results indicated that in the Ames test, the number of revertant colonies in each dose group was not more than twice as high as the number of spontaneous colonies both with and without S9 metabolic activation system, and no dose-response relationship was seen for chromosome aberration. In the mouse bone marrow micronucleus test, there was no significant increase in the incidence of micronucleus (P > 0.05), suggesting that the cell chromosome was not significantly damaged. In the sperm deformity test, no significant difference (P > 0.05) in sperm abnormality rate existed between each dose group and the negative control group, and no dose response relationship was observed, indicating that the germ cells in mice were not damaged. Conclusion: The above negative genetic test results demonstrate that electron beam irradiated rice does not display genetic toxicity under the experimental condition of this study.

Key words: electron beam, irradiation, rice, genetic toxicity