Reduction in Fusarium Toxin Levels in Corn Silage with Low Dry Matter and Storage Time

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2008-06, Vol.56 (12), p.4523-4528
• Main Authors: Boudra, Hamid, Morgavi, Diego P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Cereal and baking product industries; Chemical Changes Induced by Processing/Storage; corn silage; deoxynivalenol; dry matter content; Food Contamination - analysis; Food Contamination - prevention & control; Food engineering; Food industries; Food Preservation; fumonisin B1; fumonisin B2; Fumonisins - analysis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fusarium; Fusarium - metabolism; Fusariumtoxins; Life Sciences; Mycotoxins - analysis; Silage - analysis; silage making; stability; storage temperature; storage time; temporal variation; Time Factors; Trichothecenes - analysis; Whole plant corn silage; Zea mays - chemistry; Zea mays - microbiology; zearalenol; Zearalenone - analysis
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf800267k

Under unfavorable climatic conditions, Fusarium spp. can contaminate corn plants in the field and produce toxins that are present at the time of ensiling. The stability of deoxynivalenol, fumonisins B1 and B2, and zearalenone in corn silage was tested over two consecutive years. Variables studied were corn dry matter (DM) and storage length and temperature. The concentration of all Fusarium toxins decreased upon ensiling (P < 0.001). Increasing the length of storage and ensiling with low DM resulted in a higher rate of toxin disappearance, particularly for the water soluble toxins deoxynivalenol and fumonisin B1. Toxin disappearance ranged from 50% for zearalenone to 100% for deoxynivalenol. In contrast, temperature did not have any effect on stability (P > 0.05). These results indicate that low DM at ensiling as well as a prolonged storage could be a practical way to reduce or eliminate some Fusarium toxins in contaminated silages.