Recent research on fumonisins: a review

Abstract

Fumonisins are well known mycotoxins produced by Fusarium verticillioides, F. proliferatum and other Fusarium species. Many new fumonisins and fumonisin-like compounds have been detected by mass spectrometry in cultures of F. verticillioides. Recently, fumonisins B₂ and B₄ were produced by Aspergillus niger isolated from coffee and fumonisin B₂ in A. niger from grapes. Fumonisin B₂ was itself detected in coffee beans, wine and beer, adding to the list of foodstuffs and feedstuffs other than corn (maize) and sorghum in which fumonisins have been found in recent years. Fumonisin B₁ (FB₁) can bind to proteins (PB FB₁) and to other matrix components during food processing involving heat. The occurrence of bound fumonisins in processed corn foods is common. Another type of binding (or association) relates to observed instability of fumonisins in rice flour, corn starch and corn meal at room temperature; this can affect the immunoaffinity column clean-up procedure in analysis of naturally contaminated starch-containing corn foods for fumonisins. The occurrence of N-fatty acylated fumonisin derivatives in retail fried corn foods has also been demonstrated. Bioaccessibility of free FB₁ and total bound FB₁ (TB FB₁) present in corn flakes has been estimated by in vitro digestion experiments. Intentional binding of fumonisins to cholestyramine has been demonstrated in vivo and is a potential means of detoxification of animal feed.

Keywords:

• survey
• chromatographic analysis
• fumonisins
• mycotoxins
• cereals and grain
• cereals
• wine

Acknowledgement

The author thanks dra. Estela Motta for Figure 1.