Reduced toxicity of fumonisin B1 in corn grits by single-screw extrusion

Corn grits spiked with 30 microg/g fumonisin B1 and two batches of grits fermented with Fusarium verticillioides (batch 1 contained 33 microg/g, and batch 2 contained 48 microg/g fumonisin B1), which were extruded by a single-screw extruder with and without glucose (10%, dry weight basis) supplementation were fed to rats. Control groups were fed uncontaminated grits. Extrusion with glucose more effectively reduced fumonisin B1 concentrations of the grits (75 to 85%) than did extrusion alone (10 to 28%). With one exception, the fumonisin B1-spiked and fermented extrusion products caused moderately severe kidney lesions and reduced kidney weights, effects typically found in fumonisin-exposed rats. Lesions in rats fed the least contaminated grits (batch 1) after extrusion with 10% glucose were, however, significantly less severe and not accompanied by kidney weight changes. Therefore, extrusion with glucose supplementation is potentially useful for safely reducing the toxicity of fumonisins in corn-based products and studies to determine the optimal conditions for its use are warranted.