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Predicting aflatoxin and fumonisin in shelled corn lots using poor-quality grade components.
Anders S Johansson1, Thomas B Whitaker, Winston M Hagler
1U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 7625, Raleigh, NC 27529-7625, USA.
Journal of AOAC International
|April 28, 2006
Summary
Mycotoxins like aflatoxin and fumonisin concentrate in poor-quality corn components. Testing damaged kernels and foreign material can effectively screen for these contaminants in bulk shelled corn.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Food Safety
- Mycotoxicology
Background:
- Aflatoxin and fumonisin are toxic secondary metabolites produced by fungi that contaminate crops.
- Poor-quality grain components may harbor higher concentrations of these mycotoxins.
- Accurate detection methods are crucial for ensuring the safety of animal feed and food products.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the distribution and concentration of aflatoxin and fumonisin in different grade components of shelled corn.
- To determine if poor-quality components can serve as indicators for mycotoxin contamination in whole grain lots.
Main Methods:
- Shelled corn samples were collected from North Carolina markets.
- Samples were separated into three grade components: damaged kernels (DM), broken corn and foreign material (BCFM), and whole kernels (WH).
- Aflatoxin and fumonisin concentrations were quantified in each component, and mass balance equations were used to calculate total mycotoxin loads.
Main Results:
- Aflatoxin concentrations were significantly higher in DM (1300.3 ppb) and BCFM (455.2 ppb) compared to whole kernels (37.3 ppb).
- Fumonisin concentrations were also elevated in DM (148.3 ppm) and BCFM (51.3 ppm) versus whole kernels (1.8 ppm).
- The DM and BCFM components, constituting only 5.0% of the mass, accounted for 59.8% of total aflatoxin and 77.5% of total fumonisin.
Conclusions:
- Poor-quality components (DM and BCFM) are major reservoirs for aflatoxin and fumonisin in shelled corn.
- Measuring mycotoxins in the combined DM and BCFM fractions can serve as an effective screening method to predict contamination levels in bulk lots.
- This approach offers a potentially more efficient strategy for mycotoxin risk assessment in the grain industry.