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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Athens, Georgia » U.S. National Poultry Research Center » Toxicology & Mycotoxin Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #309485
Title: Nixtamalization Reduces Fumonisin Toxicity

Author
item Voss, Kenneth
item Riley, Ronald
item GELINEAU-VAN WAES, JANEE - Creighton University

Submitted to: University Annual Newsletter
Publication Type: Research Notes
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/12/2014
Publication Date: 7/15/2014
Citation: Voss, K.A., Riley, R.T., Gelineau-Van Waes, J.B. 2014. Nixtamalization Reduces Fumonisin Toxicity. University Annual Newsletter. 23(2):3.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fumonisin B1 is a fungal toxin found in corn and corn-based foods. It causes diseases in animals, and is a suspected risk factor for birth defects in humans depending on contaminated corn as a diet staple. Tortillas, snacks and other foods are made from corn by the alkaline cooking process known as nixtamalization. Nixtamalization significantly reduces fumonisin concentrations in masa and tortillas, however, the biological effects of hydrolyzed fumonisins or any unknown fumonisin reaction products remaining in nixtamalized food products is not fully understood. In vivo bioassays were therefore done to test the effectiveness of nixtamalization to reduce fumonisin toxicity. In the first, the ability of fumonisin B1 and its alkaline hydrolysis product HFB1 to produce neural tube (a type of serious birth) defects in the LM/Bc mouse strain was tested. In contrast to fumonisin B1, HFB1 did not cause these defects or significant maternal toxicity. The second bioassay compared the toxicity of cooked and nixtamalized corn using three batches of corn containing low, mid or high levels of fumonisin B1. When fed to rats, all three batches of uncooked corn caused significant toxicity as shown by the presence of microscopic kidney lesions and fumonisin-specific biochemical changes. These effects were absent in rats fed the nixtamalized low and mid level batches of corn and markedly reduced in the group fed the nixtamalized high level corn. Taken together, these results show that nixtamalization effectively reduces the toxicity of fumonisin B1.