Aflatoxins in Corn: How To Sample Corn For Aflatoxin Testing
Aflatoxins in Corn: How To Sample Corn For Aflatoxin Testing
Aflatoxins in Corn: How To Sample Corn For Aflatoxin Testing
Figure 1. Aspergillus ear rot symptoms on corn ear (left) and growth of Aspergillus flavus in artificial
culture (right).
Consequences of high
concentrations of aflatoxin in corn
2 Aatoxins in Corn
Ethanol/Wet Milling
Corn with aflatoxins can be used for ethanol
production. Aflatoxins do not accumulate in the ethanol
but will be concentrated in the distillers grains coproduct. In wet-mill processing, aflatoxins concentrate
in the gluten co-products. A rough estimate is that
aflatoxin levels in feed co-products will be four times
those in whole corn. Therefore, processors may not
accept corn with aflatoxin if their co-product markets
are sensitive to aflatoxin levels, such as dairy feed.
Ammoniation
Anhydrous ammonia reacts with aflatoxins and
reduces concentration. However, this practice is not
approved for interstate commerce, so ammoniated grain
can be used only on-farm. Ammonia can be applied as
a gas or liquid, but in either form it is a difficult and
dangerous procedure. This should be done only by a
trained and experienced operator.