OCCURRENCE OF FUMONISINS IN CORN-BASED FOOD-PRODUCTS

Corn-based food products obtained from commercial outlets in three dif ferent parts of the U.S., Maryland, Nebraska, and Arizona were analyze d for total fumonisins by a commercial competitive direct enzyme-linke d immunosorbant assay (CD-ELISA) and for fumonisin B-1 (FB1) by high-p erformance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The highest fumonisin concent rations were found in samples collected in Maryland, where all 18 samp les were found positive for fumonisins (200 to 7,450 ng/g of food) by CD-ELISA and 15 of the 18 samples (83%) were found positive for FB1 (< 75 to 5,916 ng/g) by HPLC, Fumonisins were also detected by CD-ELISA i n 14 of 15 samples collected in Arizona, with concentrations ranging f rom 200 to 1,450 ng/g, but analyses by HPLC showed that only 8 of 15 s amples (53%) were positive for FB1(<75 to 1,565 ng/g of food). Of the 23 samples collected in Nebraska, 20 (87%) were positive for fumonisin s (200 to 2,500 ng/g) by CD-ELISA, but only 10 (44%) were positive for FB1 (<75 to 927 ng/g) by HPLC. The highest fumonisin arid FB1 concent rations were found in cornmeal samples, ranging up to 7,450 ng/g of co rnmeal by CD-ELISA and 5,916 ng/g by HPLC. These findings indicate tha t there may be a risk of human exposure to fumonisins through the cons umption of some corn-based foods.