Reduction of fumonisin B₁ in corn grits by twin-screw extrusion.

Unlabelled: This study was designed to investigate the fate of fumonisins in flaking corn grits during twin-screw extrusion by measuring fumonisin B₁ (FB₁) and its analogs with a mass balance approach. Food grade corn grits and 2 batches of grits contaminated with FB₁ at 10 and 50 μg/g by Fusarium verticillioides M-2552 were processed with or without glucose supplementation (10%, w/w) with a twin-screw extruder. Extrusion reduced FB₁ in contaminated grits by 64% to 72% without glucose and 89% to 94% with added glucose.

Extrusion cooking with glucose supplementation of fumonisin-contaminated corn grits protects against nephrotoxicity and disrupted sphingolipid metabolism in rats.

Scope: Fumonisin B1 (FB1) is a mycotoxin found in maize and maize-based foods. It causes animal diseases and is a suspected risk factor for cancer and birth defects in humans. Extrusion cooking reduces FB1 concentrations in maize however toxicity caused by unknown degradation or FB1-matrix reaction products might persist.

Wheat bran as an alternative substrate for macroconidia formation by some Fusarium species.

Different plant preparations were evaluated for their ability to support macroconidia formation by Fusarium species in an attempt to find a replacement for the conventional Carnation Leaf Agar (CLA) media. Carnation leaves, typically require an expensive and more complex preparation steps, were replaced with corn hulls and wheat bran. This study illustrates the possibility of replacing CLA plates with a lower-cost simplified media without affecting the morphological or growth characteristics of the isolated fungi.

Antifungal activity of Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. tolerans against Fusarium proliferatum and Fusarium graminearum in a liquid culture setting.

Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. tolerans, isolated from a traditional sourdough bread culture and previously shown to have antifungal activity against Fusarium species, was tested for inhibition of growth of Fusarium proliferatum M 5991 and M 5689 and F. graminearum R 4053 in a liquid medium setting.

Reduced toxicity of fumonisin B1 in corn grits by single-screw extrusion.

Corn grits spiked with 30 microg/g fumonisin B1 and two batches of grits fermented with Fusarium verticillioides (batch 1 contained 33 microg/g, and batch 2 contained 48 microg/g fumonisin B1), which were extruded by a single-screw extruder with and without glucose (10%, dry weight basis) supplementation were fed to rats. Control groups were fed uncontaminated grits. Extrusion with glucose more effectively reduced fumonisin B1 concentrations of the grits (75 to 85%) than did extrusion alone (10 to 28%).