Distribution of moniliformin in industrial maize milling and flaking process

Abstract

Abstract Moniliformin (MON) is a widespread emerging mycotoxin often occurring in maize at not negligible levels. Few published studies investigated MON redistribution in maize derived products for human consumption; to better understand this issue, 5 maize lots with different level of MON contamination were processed following an industrial milling process to evaluate the redistribution of the mycotoxin in final products (grits), by-products destined to feed (bran and flour) and cleaning waste. A relevant MON reduction was obtained after sieve cleaning, scourer process and optical sorting, achieving a decrement of the concentration level close to 70%. The following other milling procedures showed a limited reduction from cleaned maize to small and large grits; considering the entire industrial process, the reduction percentage of MON contamination in the final products was 80.9 ± 9.3% and 81.0 ± 6.7% for small and large grits, respectively. The flaking process showed a very limited reduction of MON, close to 10%. Considering the widespread of MON occurrence in maize, the study highlights the importance of cleaning steps to achieve a low risk of exposure for the consumer.