Occurrence of Fusaproliferin, Fumonisin B₁, and Beauvericin in Maize from Italy

Abstract

The occurrence of fusaproliferin (FP) was investigated in 22 samples of preharvest maize ears Fusarium rot, collected in 1994 in Italy. The most frequently recovered Fusarium species were Fusarium moniliforme and Fusarium proliferatum. Chemical analysis by high-perfomance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry identified FP (up to 500 mg/kg) in nine samples mostly infected by F. proliferatum. FP was often found to be associated with fumonisin B1 (FB1) (up to 300 mg/kg) and beauvericin (BEA) (up to 520 mg/kg). The occurrence of FP as a natural maize contaminant and its co-occurrence with FB1 and BEA is reported here for the first time. Keywords: Fusaproliferin; fumonisin B1; beauvericin; maize; Fusarium; toxins; contamination