Fumonisins food contamination

Immunoaffinity chromatography is one of the most popular techniques of affinity derivatived method and it enables to produce ligands in case the ligand required is not available [7]. In this technique, stationary phase comprises of an antibody or antibody-related agent [1]. It is possible to isolate variable subtances using this technique due to high specifity of antibodies [1]. It is reported that immunoaffinity chromatography may be used for natural food contaminants such as aflatoxins, fumonisins and ochratoxins [11]. 

Fumonisin Bi (FBi) is the most prevalent fumonisin in contaminated food and is believed to be the most toxic to afflicted animals. Though a variety of adverse effects have been observed in livestock, there is currently no direct evidence of the effects of fumonisins on hiunans. Some inconclusive observations show that fumonisins could be carcinogenic. Fiunonisins are associated mainly with corn products [6j. 

We have long been interested in development of new ESR techniques and utilization of ESR techniques to study anti- and/or pro-oxidant activities in a variety of foods products, dietary supplements, functional foods, herbals, and phytochemicals. Our studies have included wheat, herbal products, dietary supplements, conjugated linoleic acid, strawberry, flavonoids, Aloe vera, vitamin A, and food contaminants, including fumonisin Bl and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In this paper, we... 

Fusarium moniliforme sya verticillioides causes the so-called ear rot disease in maize and produces fumonisin B, (IB,), one of the most frequently detected mycotoxins in the food supply chain worldwide (Steyn, 1995). FBi can inhibit lipid formation, particularly in the liver. Fumonisins have been detected and investigated only relatively recently. Several structurally related forms of fumonisins (FBS) have been associated with human cancer (e.g. FB with oesophageal cancer) as well as with a host of problems in livestock fed with FB -contaminated feed (D Mello, 2003 Benbrook, 2005). 

Major chemical contaminants implicated in food safety include pesticides, herbicides, myeotoxins and antibiotics. These analytes have been targeted by numerous groups developing SPR biosensors. As these analytes are rather small (typical molecular weight < 1,000), inhibition assay has been a preferred detection format. Examples of chemical contaminants detected by SPR biosensors include pesticides atrazine and simazine (detection limits 0.05 ng/ml and 0.1 ng/ml respectively), mycotoxin Fumonisin B1 (detection limit 50 ng/ml ), and antibiotics Sulphamethazine, Sulphadiazine (detection limits 1 ng/ml and 20 ng/ml respectively). 

Maximum residue levels in certain foods are set for the following contaminants nitrate, my cotoxins (aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, pamlin, deoxynivalenol, zearalenone, fumonisins, T -2 and HT-2-toxin), metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, inorganic tin), 3-MCPD (3-monochloro-propane-l,2-diol), dioxins and PCBs, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (benzo(a)pyrene) (EC 2007c). 

Sydenham, E. W., Shephard, G. S., Thiel, P. G., Marasas, W. F. O., and Stockenstrom, S. (1991). Fumonisin contamination of commercial corn-based human foodstuffs. /. Agric. Food Chem. 39, 2014-2018. 

WJ Chamberlain, CW Bacon, WP Norred, KA Voss. Level of fumonisin B, in com naturally contaminated with aflatoxins. Food Chem Toxicol 31(12) 995-998, 1993. 

Dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in fatty foods, methylmercury in fish, tetrabutyltin in molluscs or fumonisins in com products are some examples of chemical contaminants. Frequently problems concerning chemical contaminants in food reach the headlines of major newspapers and the reader may be left with a scare, sometimes with good reason, often not. In any event, those responsible for the sale of foods must be alert. They bear the responsibility for the safety of the foods they offer for sale, and they also know that any such alert may instantly influence the sale, whether the problem raised is more or less serious. 

Aflatoxins, ochratoxin A, patulin, nivalenol, deoxynivalenol, fumonisins and zearalenone have been evaluated by the Scientific Committee for Food. The question of maximum levels for some of these mycotoxins in foodstuffs has been discussed for several years in the Committee of Experts - Working Party on Agricultural Contaminants under DG VI (now under DG SANCO). Proposals from this committee are then considered by the Standing Committee on Foodstuffs, prior to adoption by the Commission as Commission Regulations. 

Dombrink-Kurtzman, M. A., Dvorak, T.J., Barron, M. E., and Rooney, L. W. (2000). Effect of nixtamalization (Alkaline cooking) on fumonisin-contaminated corn for production of masa and tortillas. J. Agric. Food. Chem. 48(11), 5781-5786. 

Marin, S., Sanchiz, V., Sanz, D., et al. 1999. Control of growth and fumonisin B1 production by Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium proliferatum isolates in moist maize with propinic preservatives. Food Additives and Contamination 16 555-563. 

Fungi produce a number of inhibitors of CerS. The most studied are the fumonisins, which are produced by Fusarium verticillioides, a common contaminant of com. Fumonisins were first discovered in a search for the causal factor(s) for human esophageal cancer in the Transkei region of South Africa and two diseases encountered in agricultural animals that eat contaminated food (W.F.O. Marasas, 2001). They were subsequently found to have many pathological effects liver and kidney toxicity, renal cancer, immunosuppression (and in some cases immunostimulation), and birth defects, with the latter being seen not only in studies with experimental models (W.F.O. Marasas,... 

Corn-based foods followed by fumonisin B2 (FB2).The problems and risks associated with fumonisin contamination have resulted in the development of precise, reliable and sensitive methods for its determination in corn and corn-based foods (Magan Olsen, 2004, as cited in Silva et al., 2009). Therefore, the quality parameters in the analysis of FBI and FB2 in corn-based products obtained with LC with fluorescence detector have been investigated (Silva et al, 2009). Furthermore, a comparison study between fluorescence detector (FD), mass spectrometry, and tandem mass spectrometry with a triple quadrupole (QqQ) analyzer using an electrospray ionization interface for the determination of fumonisin B1 and B2 in corn-based products has been performed. A comparative study of the three LC detectors, FD, single quadrupole, QqQ for the analysis of fumonisins in corn samples has been performed. The response achieved by the three detectors was sensitive enough to study the maximum contents established by the EU legislation. These LC detectors would be appropriate for quantification purposes but the acquisition of at least two transitions achieved with QqQ provided a univocal identification. 

E. Gobbi, M. Falasconi, E. Torelh, G. Sberveglieri, Electronic nose predicts high and low fumonisin contamination in maize cultures. Food Res. Int. 44, 992-999 (2011)... 

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