Abstract
ABSTRACTCorn samples and different commercial dry‐milled fractions collected from an industrial mill in Argentina were surveyed for fungal contamination. The percentage of Fusarium isolates in whole corn kernels among all fungi recovered was 2.0–97.0%; in corn grits, it was 2.6–50.0%. Maximum levels in the other fractions were 5.2 × 105 colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) in germ and bran, 5.0 × 103 CFU/g in C flour, and 2.7 × 103 CFU/g in corn meal. The high initial contamination from whole corn is reflected in germ and bran, which is destined for animal consumption, but not in corn meal. F. verticillioides and Aspergillus flavus were the most frequent species in the whole corn kernel, but F. verticillioides was prevalent in all the other industrial fractions. Other potentially toxigenic fungi that were isolated included Aspergillus parasiticus, Alternaria alternata, Penicillium citrinum, and P. funiculosum. In this first report about mold contamination in corn industrial dry‐milled fractions in Argentina, the high fungal contamination level observed in the stored corn could indicate the necessity to improve the hybrid quality and the storage conditions to diminish the risk of mycotoxin occurrence.
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