Fumonisins in corn (Zea mays L.) from Southern Brazil

• Published in: Food additives & contaminants Part B, Surveillance communications Surveillance communications, 2014, Vol.7 (2), p.151-155
• Main Authors: Scussel, Vildes M, Savi, Geovana D, Costas, Lea Luzia Freitas, Xavier, José Junior Mendonça, Manfio, Daniel, Bittencourt, Karoline O, Aguiar, Kin, Stein, Stephanie M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Brazil; Carcinogens, Environmental - analysis; Chromatography; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Corn; Diet; Fluorescence; Food contamination & poisoning; Food Contamination - analysis; Food industries; fumonisins; Fumonisins - analysis; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; HPLC; Human exposure; Humans; liquid chromatography; mycotoxin; occurrence; risk; Risk Assessment; Seeds; temperate zones; Toxins; Zea mays; Zea mays - microbiology
• ISSN: 1939-3229; 1939-3210; 1939-3229
• DOI: 10.1080/19393210.2013.862745

A total of 232 samples of corn commercialised in Santa Catarina state, Southern Brazil (temperate zone climate), were evaluated from 2007 to 2012 for fumonisins (FBs: FB ₁ and FB ₂). Before performing this study, a FBs method with liquid chromatography and fluorescence detection (ex. 335; em. 440 nm) was validated first. FBs were detected in 46.6% (108 samples), with values ranging from 66 to 7832 µg kg ⁻¹ for FB ₁ and 110 to 1201 µg kg ⁻¹ for FB ₂. The number of contaminated corn samples for FB ₁ and FB ₂ varied and often presented contamination of FB ₁ only. Per year of analysis, the numbers were: n = 22/8(FB ₁/FB ₂), 44/5(FB ₁/FB ₂), 25/12(FB ₁/FB ₂), 4(FB ₁), 6(FB ₁) and 7(FB ₁) in 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively. The contamination percentage was 42.3/15.4, 59.5/6.8, 43.8/21.1, 36.4, 35.3 and 33.3%, respectively, during these years. Consumers can be exposed to these mycotoxins and their health can be at risk through the consumption of contaminated corn.