Effects of thermal food processing on the chemical structure and toxicity of fumonisin mycotoxins

Abstract

Fumonisins are Fusarium mycotoxins that occur in corn and corn-based foods. They are toxic to animals and at least one analogue, fumonisin B1, is carcinogenic to rodents. Their effect on human health is unclear, however, fumonisins are considered to be risk factors for cancer and possibly neural tube defects in some heavily exposed populations. It is therefore important to minimize exposures in these populations. Cleaning corn to remove damaged or moldy kernels reduces fumonisins in foods while milling increases their concentration in some and reduces their concentration in other products. Fumonisins are water-soluble and nixtamalization (cooking in alkaline water) lowers the fumonisin content of food products if the cooking liquid is discarded. Baking, frying, and extrusion cooking of corn at high temperatures ( > or = 190 degrees C) also reduces fumonisin concentrations in foods, with the amount of reduction achieved depending on cooking time, temperature, recipe, and other factors. However, the chemical fate of fumonisins in baked, fried, and extruded foods is not well understood and it is not known if the reduced concentrations result from thermal decomposition of fumonisins or from their binding to proteins, sugars or other compounds in food matrices. These possibilities might or might not be beneficial depending upon the bioavailability and inherent toxicity of decomposition products or the degree to which bound fumonisins are released in the gastrointestinal tract. In this review the affects of cooking and processing on the concentration and chemical structure of fumonisins as well as the toxicological consequences of known and likely fumonisin reaction products are discussed.

Fumonisin level in corn-based food and feed from Linxian County, a high-risk area for esophageal cancer in china

“…However, FB 1 was detected at the concentration ranging from 0.21 to 0.27 μg/g in 6 of 12 (50%) corn grit samples (Table 3). Our results showed that less or no contamination of fumonisin was found in the processed corn products, which is coincident with previous reports ( [Weidenbörner, 2001] and [Humpf and Voss, 2004]). Several previous studies were conducted to investigate the effect of processing method on fumonisn content.…”

“…Cleaning corn to remove damaged or moldy kernels reduces fumonisins in foods while milling increases their concentration in some and reduces their concentration in other products (Jackson & Jalonski, 2004). Humpf and Voss (2004) found that baking, frying, and extrusion cooking of corn at high temperatures (≥190 °C) also reduced fumonisin concentrations in foods, with the amount of reduction achieved depending on cooking time, temperature, recipe, and other factors. It was also suggested that the fumonisin level in corn-based products was reduced during processing because fumonisins become 'hidden' and not recoverable under currently used extraction/purifi cation procedures (Kim, Scott, & Lau, 2003).…”

Association between Tortilla Consumption and Human Urinary Fumonisin B1 Levels in a Mexican Population

“…Our estimate is somewhat higher than intake levels estimated in the United States but lower than those in South Africa (39). It is noteworthy that the nixtamalization process by which maize is boiled in a lime solution to produce masa for tortillas is known to reduce the fumonisin level up to 80% (34,40,41). According to De la Campa et al's (34) observation in four small scale tortilla companies, FB1 can be reduced to undetectable levels in tortillas made from maize contaminated with FB1 at 0.6 to 1.6 ppm.…”

Aflatoxins, Ochratoxins, Trichotecenes, Patulin, Fumonisins and Beauvericin in Finished Products for Human Consumption

“…Fumonisins (FBs) are a group of secondary metabolites produced by micro fungi of the genus Fusarium and particularly by the F. verticillioides that is associated with maize and foods and feeds based on maize [92]. Out of the more than 15 FBs isomers that have been described so far, fumonisins B1 (FB1), B2 (FB2), and B3 (FB3) are the most abundant and frequent in the analyzed samples.…”