ALTERED MORPHOLOGY OF LIVER AND PANCREAS TISSUES OF OFFSPRINGS OF ALBINO RATS BY CHARRED MEAT

The effects of food processing and or cooking practices in the variations in morphological changes in tissues were investigated. The relationship between consumption of charred meat, which is believed to be rich in nitrosamine by pregnant mothers and the adverse effects on the growth of their offsprings, alterations in morphology of tissues like liver and pancreas were studied. Meat was subjected to charcoal fire roasting without curing and was thereafter fed to pregnant rats. The results shopwed growth retardation of the offsprings, micromorphological changes in tissues such as liver (genernalized apoptotic processes and hepatocellular necrosis) and pancreas (increased islet cells density and scattered acinar hyperplasia with solid cellular area) in the offsprings of the female albino rats that were fed on 60 and 80 percent of charred meat regimen during gestation and lactation periods when compared to control. These observations have shown that meat curred or uncured when subjected to charcoal fire roasting may cause alteration in the morphology of the foetal tissues.