Free and hidden fumonisins in various fractions of maize dry milled under model conditions

In the present study the milling of corn was made and then in the milled fractions the content of the fumonisins was analysed. These conditions of milling model have many advantages, e.g. the ease unifies the various milling fractions derived from the entire lot which allows for increased precision results. The concentration of free/hidden fumonisins in fractions from dry milled maize under modelled conditions (i.e., in flour and bran/germs) was compared to the initial fumonisin concentration in the grain. Both free and hydrolysed forms of fumonisin were extracted and determined using LC/MS. The concentration of both free and hidden fumonisins in the milled fractions was statistically significantly (p ≤ 0.05) diversified: higher in the bran and lower in the flour. The free and hidden fumonisin levels in bran increased by 69% and 46%, respectively, while they decreased in flour by 28% and 20%, respectively, relative to maize. Statistically significant (p ≤ 0.05) differences in the concentrations were also observed before and after hydrolysis in both the unprocessed grain and milled fractions. These findings indicate the components that interact with fumonisins via supra-molecular bonds are non-uniformly distributed throughout the grain volume.