No abstract

Studies were undertaken to determine the fate of the mycotoxins, fumonisins, during the process of alkaline cooking (nixtamalization), using normal-appearing corn that was naturally contaminated with fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) at 8.79 ppm. Corn was processed into tortillas, starting with raw corn that was cooked with lime and allowed to steep overnight; the steeped corn (nixtamal) was washed and ground into masa, which was used to make tortillas. Calculations to determine how much of the original fumonisin remained in the finished products took into consideration that FB(1) will be converted to hydrolyzed fumonisin B(1) (HFB(1)) by the process of alkaline cooking. All fractions, including steeping and washing water, were weighed, and percent moisture and fumonisin content were determined. Tortillas contained approximately 0.50 ppm of FB(1), plus 0.36 ppm of HFB(1), which represented 18.5% of the initial FB(1) concentration. Three-fourths of the original amount of fumonisin was present in the liquid fractions, primarily as HFB(1). Nixtamalization significantly reduced the amount of fumonisin in maize.

The relative amounts of amylose and amylopectin in maize starch were determined in samples representing hard and soft endosperm. Although differences were small, amylose content differed significantly (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05) between the two types of endosperm, with hard endosperm containing a higher percentage of amylose. Scanning electron microscopy was used to determine that the surface appearance of starch granules from hard and soft endosperm differed. Starch granules from soft endosperm had randomly distributed pores on their surfaces, which had a rough appearance. Few pores were observed on granules from hard endosperm. A fairly common occurrence with starch granules from soft endosperm was the development of wrinkles or fissures upon prolonged exposure to the beam of the electron microscope. Thus, a correlation existed between endosperm hardness, amylose content, and susceptibility to wrinkling and fissures. The granules of the soft endosperm of maize, presumably less mature than the granules of the hard endosperm, have a lower amylose content (20.5 ± 1.9% vs. 23.0 ± 1.0%), exhibit more surface pores, and are more susceptible to wrinkling in an electron beam, compared with granules of the hard endosperm. Results suggested that the composition and internal architecture of the starch granule differ depending on the hardness of the endosperm from which it was obtained.