Occurrence of fumonisins in maize imported into Iran during 2001–2002 (original) (raw)

Natural occurrence of Fusarium species, fumonisin production by toxigenic strains, and concentrations of fumonisins B1, and B2 in conventional and organic maize grown in Spain

Journal of food protection, 2007

Sixty samples of corn from both conventional and organic farms were tested for internal fungal contamination. Molds were identified to genus, and those belonging to the genus Fusarium were identified to species. Twenty isolates of Fusarium verticillioides were tested with a high-performance liquid chromatography-naphthalene dicarboxaldehyde-fluorescence method for their ability to produce fumonisins B1 and B2. The internal fungal infection in organic maize (63.20%) was significantly higher than that in conventional maize (40.27%) (P < 0.05). However, the distribution of fungal genera indicated a significantly higher prevalence of Fusarium in conventional (34.93%) than in organic (18.15%) maize, making Fusarium the predominant fungus in conventional maize. This difference in mold distribution between organic and conventional maize was attributed to the difference in cultivation system. The dominant Fusarium species in both conventional and organic samples was F. verticillioides. T...

Fumonisin B 1 in maize harvested in Iran during 1999

Food Additives and Contaminants, 2002

The fumonisin B 1 (FB 1) contamination of maize collected in two areas of Iran during 1999 was determined. The 20 maize samples from Mazandaran Province, situated on the Caspian littoral of Iran, consisted of random samples of farmers' lots and were all contaminated with FB 1 at a mean level of 3.18 mg kg 1 (range 0.68±7.66 mg kg 1). The 10 samples (of the same maize cultivar) from Isfahan Province in central Iran were purchased as maize cobs in local retail markets and had mean FB 1 levels of 0.22 mg kg 1 (mean of all samples, 6/10 samples positive, range <0.01±0.88 mg kg 1). The FB 1 levels in Mazandaran , an area of high oesophagea l cancer, were signi®cantly (p< 0.0001) higher than the FB 1 levels found in maize from Isfahan, an area of low oesophagea l cancer in Iran.

Natural Occurrence of Fumonisins in Corn from Iran

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2000

Corn collected in the Mazandaran and Isfahan Provinces of Iran was analyzed for fumonisin B 1 (FB 1), fumonisin B 2 (FB 2), and fumonisin B 3 (FB 3). The samples from Mazandaran Province, situated on the Caspian littoral of Iran, were random samples from farmers' corn lots collected in September 1998, whereas those from Isfahan Province, situated further south in the center of Iran, were bought as corn cobs in the local retail market during October 1998. All 11 samples from Mazandaran showed high levels of fumonisin contamination with FB 1 levels between 1.270 and 3.980 µg/g, FB 2 levels between 0.190 and 1.175 µg/g, and FB 3 levels between 0.155 and 0.960 µg/g. Samples from Isfahan showed lower levels of contamination with eight of eight samples having detectable FB 1 (0.010-0.590 µg/g), two of eight samples having detectable FB 2 (0.050-0.075 µg/g), and two of eight samples having detectable FB 3 (0.050-0.075 µg/g). This is the first report of fumonisin contamination of corn from Iran, in which samples from the area of high esophageal cancer on the Caspian littoral have been shown to contain high levels of fumonisins.

Infection of maize by Fusarium species and contamination with fumonisin in Africa

2004

Fusarium is one of the major fungal genera associated with maize in Africa. This genus comprises several toxigenic species including F. verticillioides and F. proliferatum, which are the most prolific producers of fumonisins. The fumonisins are a group of economically important mycotoxins and very common contaminants of maize-based foods and feeds throughout the world. They have been found to be associated with several animal diseases such as leukoencephalomalacia in horses and pulmonary oedema in pigs. Effects of fumonisins on humans are not yet well understood. However, their occurrence in maize has been associated with high incidences of oesophageal and liver cancer. Infection of maize by Fusarium species and contamination with fumonisins are generally influenced by many factors including environmental conditions (climate, temperature, humidity), insect infestation and pre-and postharvest handling. Attempts to control F. verticillioides and to detoxify or reduce fumonisin levels in maize have been undertaken. However, more research studies are urgently needed in order to understand more about this toxin. Fumonisins are less documented because they are recently discovered mycotoxins compared to aflatoxins. To date in Africa, apart from South Africa, very little information is available on Fusarium infection and fumonisin contamination in maize. It is a matter of great concern that on this continent, millions of people are consuming contaminated maize and maize-based foods daily without being aware of the danger.

Analysis of potential fumonisin-producing Fusarium species in corn products from three main maize-producing areas in eastern China

Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2012

BACKGROUND: Fusarium species are common fungal contaminants of maize and a number of them can produce mycotoxin fumonisins. China is one of the largest maize producers in the world. This study investigated the contamination of maize samples from three areas in eastern China by Fusarium and fumonisin-producing fungi as well as their fumonisin-producing potential. RESULTS: A total of 22 Fusarium strains were isolated, 19 of which were able to produce fumonisin. Among the 19 strains, 16 belonged to F. verticillioides, two to F. subglutinans and one to F. proliferatum. The majority (17/19) of the fumonisin-forming strains were high FB 1 producers, which is a potential health risk for the population in these areas. Fusarium contamination in samples from the mideastern area was the most serious (11 Fusarium strains, with nine producing fumonisin, isolated from 24 samples), followed by the northeastern area (nine Fusarium strains, with all nine producing fumonisin, isolated from 21 samples) and the southeastern area (two Fusarium strains, with one producing fumonisin, isolated from 19 samples). CONCLUSION: Although the overall levels of FBs and contamination by fumonisin-producing fungi in corn samples were not serious, the contaminating Fusarium strains possessed fairly strong toxicogenic ability and potential risk for food safety.

Fumonisin Production by Fusarium verticillioides Strains Isolated from Maize in Mexico and Development of a Polymerase Chain Reaction to Detect Potential Toxigenic Strains in Grains

Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2005

Fumonisins are mycotoxins (MTs) produced mainly by the fungus Fusarium verticillioides, the main pathogens of maize which cause ear rot. The aim of this work was to evaluate some factors that may lead to high fumonisin production by F. verticillioides in maize grains, correlating the pathogen inoculation method with different genotypes grown in four Brazilian states. Experiments were conducted in 2015-2016 in maize crops from experimental maize fields located in four distinct states of Brazil. Results showed that contamination by fumonisin mycotoxins occurred even on symptomatic or asymptomatic grains. In all municipalities, the samples showed levels of fumonisin B1 that were higher than would be tolerable for the human consumption of corn products (the current tolerance limit for fumonisin is 1.5 µg g −1). High severity of grains infected with F. verticillioides does not always show high concentrations of fumonisins. Environments with higher temperatures may influence the production of high concentrations of fumonisin in maize hybrids. Spray inoculation methods and inoculation at the center of spikes did not influence fumonisin concentrations. Results showed that the hybrids P3630H, P32R48 and P3250 presented higher disease severity, as well as higher mycotoxin levels in the studied locations with higher temperatures.