Occurrence of fumonisin B(1) in corn from the main corn-producing areas of China

Fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) is the most abundant of the fumonisin mycotoxins, mainly produced in maize by F. verticillioides and F. proliferatum. A total of 282 corn samples harvested in 2005 from six provinces, the main corn-producing areas of China, were analyzed for FB(1) using high-performance liquid chromatography. All samples except one were (99.6%) positive for FB(1) at levels varying from 3 to 71,121 ng/g with mean and median levels for all samples of 6,662 and 1,569 ng/g, respectively. During an analysis of the distribution pattern for FB(1), it became apparent that 43.6% of tested samples had FB(1) concentrations below 1,000 ng/g, while 25.2% contained in excess of 5,000 ng/g. The average exposure to FB(1) (1.1 microg/kg body weight/day) is within the provisional maximum tolerable daily intake of 2 microg/kg body weight/day set by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives.