Determination of the amount of bioaccessible fumonisin B1 in different matrices afterin vitro digestion

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Conventional analytical methods used for the analysis of fumonisin content in animal feeds fail to take into account the fumonisin content bound to the matrix, which is otherwise bioaccessible and can be absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Moreover, underestimation of fumonisin content using routine analytical methods can affect animal experiments using cereals contaminated by fungi. In the present study, hidden fumonisin B1 was analysed in two cereal substrates (maize and wheat) which were inoculated withFusarium verticillioides (MRC 826). The study compared a routine extraction procedure with anin vitro digestion sample pre-treatment. We found that all samples showed a higher content of fumonisin B1 after digestion, compared to the free fumonisin obtained only by extraction. The percentage of the hidden form was 38.6% (±18.5) in maize and 28.3% (±17.8) in wheat, expressed as the proportion of total fumonisin B1. These results indicate that the toxin exposure of the animals determined by the routine fumonisin analysis was underestimated, generally by 40%, as bioaccessibility was not taken into consideration. This is crucial in interpretation (and maybe in re-evaluation) of the results obtained from (other) animal experiments.