Distribution of moniliformin in industrial maize milling and flaking process

Moniliformin (MON) is a widespread emerging mycotoxin often occurring in maize at significant levels. Few published\r\nstudies investigated MON redistribution in maize-derived products for human consumption; to better understand this issue,\r\n5 maize lots with different levels of MON contamination were processed following an industrial milling process to evaluate\r\nthe redistribution of the mycotoxin in final products (grits), by-products destined to feed (bran and flour) and cleaning\r\nwaste. MON was quantified by LC–MS/MS after the purification step through the SPE column; moreover, a confirmatory\r\nmethod based on MON derivatization with 1,2-diamino-4,5-dichlorobenzene was developed. Relevant MON reduction was\r\nobtained after sieve cleaning, scourer process, and optical sorting, achieving a decrement of the concentration level close to\r\n70%. The following other milling procedures showed a limited reduction from cleaned maize to small and large grits; considering\r\nthe entire industrial process, the reduction percentage of MON contamination in the final products was 80.9 ± 9.3%\r\nand 81.0 ± 6.7% for small and large grits, respectively. The flaking process showed a very limited reduction of MON, close\r\nto 10%. Considering the widespread of MON occurrence in maize, the study highlights the importance of cleaning steps to\r\nachieve a low risk of exposure for the consumer.