Effects of Baking and Frying on the Fumonisin B1 Content of Corn-Based Foods

Abstract

Fumonisins are mycotoxins produced primarily by Fusarium moniliforme and Fusarium proliferatum in corn. Fumonisins have been implicated as the causal agents in a variety of animal diseases and are epidemiologically linked to the high incidence of human esophageal cancer in some regions of the world. Little is known about the effects of common processing methods on the fumonisin content of food. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of baking and frying on the stability of fumonisin B1 (FB1) spiked into corn-based foods. Baking corn muffins spiked with 5 μg/g (dry weight basis) FB1 at 175 and 200 °C for 20 min resulted in 83.7 ± 3.5% and 72.4 ± 5.9% retention of FB1, respectively. At both temperatures, losses of FB1 were significantly (p < 0.05) greater at the surface than at the core of the muffins. No significant losses of FB1 were found when spiked corn masa was fried at 140−170 °C for 0−6 min. FB1 began to degrade at frying temperatures ≥180 °C and times ≥8 min. Frying chips for 15 min at 190 °C resulted in 67% loss of FB1. These processing studies suggest that fumonisins are heat stable compounds that survive under most conditions used during baking or frying. Keywords: Fumonisin B1; processing; frying; baking; heating; decomposition