Fumonisin B1 [Paperback]

This book evaluates the risks to human and animal health posed by the consumption of maize and maize-based products contaminated with fumonisin B1. This naturally occurring mycotoxin, produced by the mold Fusarium verticillioidesis found in high concentrations throughout the world, and is believed to be the most prevalent and toxic of the fumonisins. Consumption is known to cause two fatal diseases in farm animals. Possible adverse effects on human health are of particular importance in several developing countries, where maize and maize-based products are the staple food for large populations.

A section on sources of human exposure considers factors that influence the vulnerability of maize to contamination during growth, storage, and processing. Weather conditions that favor Fusarium kernel rot are noted to cause significant accumulation of fumonisin B1. Studies of the effects of different processing techniques demonstrate the toxin's stability. Dry milling results in its distribution into the bran, germ, and flour. In experimental wet milling, fumonisin has been detected in steep water, gluten fibre, and germ but not in the starch.

A review of studies on the environmental fate of fumonisin B1 concludes that fumonisins are heat stable, light stable, water soluble, poorly absorbed, poorly metabolized, and rapidly excreted by animals. As a result, most fumonisin is recycled into the environment in a manner that concentrates its spatial distribution. A section on environmental levels and human exposure reviews a large number of studies measuring levels of contamination in maize and maize-based foods for human consumption and in animal feeds. The highest levels of contamination have been recorded in Europe, followed by North America, Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The most extensive section reviews toxicity data from studies in experimental animals and in vitro test systems. Fumonisl“+