Fumonisin levels in commercial corn products in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Fumonisins B-1 (FB1) and B-2 (FB2) were determined in 35 samples of corn fl our and corn grits destined for human consumption and purchased directly fr om Buenos Aires food shops and supermarkets from October 1996 to January 19 97 and during the month of January 1997 and during the month of January 199 8. During the first period of sample collecting, 16 out of 19 samples were found to be contaminated. Considering all 19 samples, contamination levels were between not detected and 1860 ng/g FB1, and from not detected to 768 n g/g FB2. During the second period all 16 samples were found to be contamina ted with levels ranging from 75 to 4978 ng/g FB1, and from not detected to 1818 ng/g FB2. The levels of FB1 and FB2 in the samples collected during Ja nuary 1998 were significantly higher than the samples collected during the period from October 1996 to January 1997. No significant difference was fou nd in terms of fumonisin levels between the branded and unbranded samples.