Co-occurrence of aflatoxins B 1, B 2, G 1, G 2, zearalenone and fumonisin B 1 in Brazilian corn

Abstract

Two hundred and fourteen unprocessed corn samples (1997-98 harvest), collected at wholesale markets in different regions in Brazil, were surveyed for the occurrence of mycotoxins. The samples were analysed for aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, G2, zearalenone and fumonisin B1 using in-house validated methods. The occurrence of aflatoxin B1, zearalenone and fumonisin B1 was found in 38.3, 30.4 and 99.1% of the samples, respectively. Aflatoxin B1, zearalenone and fumonisin B1 contamination levels varied from 0.2 to 129, 36.8 to 719, and 200 to 6100 microg/kg, respectively. The co-occurrence of the two carcinogenic mycotoxins aflatoxin B1 and fumonisin B1 was observed in 100% of the aflatoxin-contaminated samples (82 samples). Co-occurrences of aflatoxin B1: zearalenone: fumonisin B1 and aflatoxin B1: aflatoxin B2: fumonisin B1 were found in 18 and 43 samples, respectively.

Aflatoxinas em produtos à base de milho comercializados no Brasil e riscos para a saúde humana

“…Vários estudos comprovam esta afirmação: ALI et al [2] relataram um total de 69% de amostras da Indonésia contaminadas com níveis médios de 119 µg/kg; BHAT et al [6] observaram 25,8 % de amostras contaminadas com quantidades superiores a 30 µg/kg na Índia; GLÓRIA et al [19] verificaram 33% de contaminação das amostras provenientes de cinco Estados brasileiros; VARGAS et al [49] relataram 38,3% de contaminação de amostras de diferentes regiões brasileiras com níveis médios de 9,4 µg/kg; HENNIGEN e DICK [23] relataram 30,5% de amostras provenientes do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil, com níveis variáveis de 10 a 906 µg/kg; LI et al [29] observaram, na China, 35% de amostras contaminadas com níveis médios de 82 µg/kg; MACHINSKI JR et al [30] encontraram 54,5% de amostras cultivadas em campos experimentais do Estado de São Paulo, Brasil, com níveis de 6 a 1600 µg/kg; MEDINA-MARTINEZ E MARTINEZ [31] verificaram contaminação em 16,6% das amostras analisadas provenientes da Venezuela; ONO et al [38] relataram 11,3% de amostras contaminadas de origem brasileira com níveis médios de 190 µg/kg; NEPOTE, PIONTELLI, SAUBOIS [35] observaram 10% de contaminação com amostras provenientes da Argentina com concentrações acima de 20 µg/kg; e, também na Argentina, GONZALEZ et al [21] não observaram contaminação por aflatoxinas nas 30 amostras analisadas.…”

Effects of zearalenone in prepubertal gilts

“…This study aimed to evaluate the effects of ZEA in the diet of prepubertal gilts, in a controlled environment. Thus, for the present study, a ZEA concentration of 0.75mg/kg was chosen, which was thought to be high enough to cause pathologic changes and relatively close to concentrations routinely reported in the field as capable of causing intoxication (Vargas et al 2001, Doll et al 2004. The toxic effects produced were evaluated using a comparison of reproductive, hematological and biochemical parameters, weight gain of the animals, and humoral immune response against sheep red blood cells (SRBC).…”

Aflatoxins: Their Measure and Analysis

“…Many TLC methods for aflatoxins were validated more than 20 years ago and also when there has been a more recent validation, the performance of the methods has often been established at contamination levels too high to be of relevance to current regulatory limits. The combination of TLC methods with much-improved modern clean-up stage offers the possibility to be a simple, robust and relatively inexpensive technique (Vargas et al, 2001), that after validation can be used as viable screening method. Moreover, given the significant advantages of the low cost of operation, the potential to test many samples simultaneously and the advances in instrumentation that allow quantification by image analysis or densitometry, TLC can be used also in laboratories of developing countries in alternative to other chromatographic methods that are more expensive and require skilled and experienced staff to operate.…”