Aflatoxin and Fumonisin Contamination of Commercial Corn (Zea mays) Hybrids in Mississippi

• Published in: Journal of agricultural and food chemistry 2002-08, Vol.50 (18), p.5246-5254
• Main Authors: Abbas, Hamed K, Williams, W. Paul, Windham, Gary L, Pringle, Horace C, Xie, Weiping, Shier, W. Thomas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aflatoxin B1; aflatoxins; Aflatoxins - analysis; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Aspergillus - metabolism; Biological and medical sciences; Carboxylic Acids - analysis; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Chromatography, Liquid; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Food Contamination; Food industries; Food toxicology; Fumonisins; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fusarium - metabolism; Genetics and breeding of economic plants; Hybridization, Genetic; Mississippi; Pest resistance; Plant pathogens; Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; Varietal selection. Specialized plant breeding, plant breeding aims; Zea mays; Zea mays - chemistry; Zea mays - microbiology
• ISSN: 0021-8561; 1520-5118
• DOI: 10.1021/jf020266k

Resistance to mycotoxin contamination was compared in field samples harvested from 45 commercial corn (maize) hybrids and 5 single-cross aflatoxin-resistant germplasm lines in years with high and moderate heat stress. In high heat stress, mycotoxin levels were (4.34 ± 0.32) × 103 μg/kg [(0.95−10.5 × 103 μg/kg] aflatoxins and 11.2 ± 1.2 mg/kg (0−35 mg/kg) fumonisins in commercial hybrids and 370 ± 88 μg/kg (140−609 μg/kg) aflatoxins and 4.0 ± 1.3 mg/kg (1.7−7.8 mg/kg) fumonisins in aflatoxin-resistant germplasm lines. Deoxynivalenol was detected (one-fourth of the samples, 0−1.5 mg/kg), but not zearalenone. In moderate heat stress, mycotoxin levels were 6.2 ± 1.6 μg/kg (0−30.4 μg/kg) aflatoxins and 2.5 ± 0.2 mg/kg (0.5−4.8 mg/kg) fumonisins in commercial hybrids and 1.6 ± 0.7 μg/kg (0−7 μg/kg) aflatoxins and 1.2 ± 0.2 mg/kg (0.5−3.0 mg/kg) fumonisins in aflatoxin-resistant germplasm lines. The results are consistent with heat stress playing an important role in the susceptibility of corn to both aflatoxin and fumonisin contamination, with significant reductions of both aflatoxins and fumonisins in aflatoxin-resistant germplasm lines. Keywords: Aflatoxin; fumonisin; corn hybrids; maize; zearalenone; deoxynivalenol; mycotoxin; heat stress; drought; aflatoxin-resistance; Aspergillus; Fusarium