Sterigmatocystin Occurrence in Paddy and Processed Rice Produced in Italy in the Years 2014–2015 and Distribution in Milled Rice Fractions

The occurrence of sterigmatocystin (STC) in paddy and processed rice samples produced\r\nin Italy was surveyed. After extraction and purification, STC was analysed using HPLC-MS/MS.\r\nSTC was detected in all paddy rice samples (n = 49), in the range 0.29–15.85 gkg1. As regards\r\nprocessed rice, a widespread contamination was found in brown and parboiled rice. All the brown\r\nrice samples were contaminated between 0.12 and 1.32 gkg1; for parboiled rice, the incidence was\r\n90.9% and the maximum level was 1.09 gkg1. The contamination in white rice was significantly\r\nlower (p < 0.01). The STC distribution in different rice fractions, obtained by the de-hulling and\r\npolishing processes, was evaluated. After de-hulling, the STC percentage remaining in brown rice\r\nwas in the range 21.2%–30.8%. The polishing process, from brown to white rice, caused another\r\nremarkable decrease of contamination; the STC remaining in white rice was 2.2%–8.3% of the amount\r\nfound in paddy rice.