A Limited Survey of Fumonisin $B_{1}$ Content of Domestic and Imported Corns in Korea

A Limited Survey of Fumonisin $B_{1}$ Content of Domestic and Imported Corns in Korea

Fumonisin $B_{1}$ ($FB_{1}$) is hepatotoxic in all species, and initiator and promotor for hepatocarcinogenesis produced mainly by Fusarium moniliforme. This fungus is commonly natural contaminant of corn and other grains worldwide, and has been associated with animal and human diseases. In these study, natural occurrence of $FB_{1}$ was surveyed in 30 healthy domestic corn kernels in Chonbuk and Kangwon province, harvested in 1994 and intended for human consumption, and 15 imported American and Chinese samples of each, collected from different ship-loading at Inchon harbor for animal foodstuffs. $FB_{1}$ contents were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with a fiourescence detector. The data revealed that 2 out of 12 corn kernels from Kangwon province with 1.1 and 0.7 ppm, and 2 out of 18 corns from Chonbuk province with 0.5 and 1.3 ppm, respectively. However, there was no detection of $FB_{1}$ in imported corn samples, even though those were visibly moldy.