title: Effect of nixtamalization (Alkaline cooking) on fumonisin-contaminated corn for production of masa and tortillas.
abstract: Studies were undertaken to determine the fate of the mycotoxins, fumonisins, during the process of alkaline cooking (nixtamalization), using normal-appearing corn that was naturally contaminated with fumonisin B(1) (FB(1)) at 8.79 ppm. Corn was processed into tortillas, starting with raw corn that was cooked with lime and allowed to steep overnight; the steeped corn (nixtamal) was washed and ground into masa, which was used to make tortillas. Calculations to determine how much of the original fumonisin remained in the finished products took into consideration that FB(1) will be converted to hydrolyzed fumonisin B(1) (HFB(1)) by the process of alkaline cooking. All fractions, including steeping and washing water, were weighed, and percent moisture and fumonisin content were determined. Tortillas contained approximately 0.50 ppm of FB(1), plus 0.36 ppm of HFB(1), which represented 18.5% of the initial FB(1) concentration. Three-fourths of the original amount of fumonisin was present in the liquid fractions, primarily as HFB(1). Nixtamalization significantly reduced the amount of fumonisin in maize.
authors.affiliation: Mycotoxin Research Unit, National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1815 North University Street, Peoria, Illinois 61604-3902, USA. mail.ncaur.usda.gov
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dombrink-Kurtzman
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Dvorak
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Barron
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Rooney
mesh_terms: D002264:Carboxylic Acids / Q000032:analysis*; D003296:Cooking; D005433:Flour; D005506:Food Contamination; D037341:Fumonisins; D006868:Hydrolysis; D009183:Mycotoxins / Q000032:analysis*; D003313:Zea mays
chemical_list: D002264:Carboxylic Acids; D037341:Fumonisins; D009183:Mycotoxins; C056934:fumonisin B2; C056933:fumonisin B1